Vrinda Agrawal [email protected] | [email protected]

Education

2020–On going Graduate student, PhD – Department of History of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

2016 Master of Arts with Distinction in History of Art School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK Dissertation: Dispersal of Princely Collections of Paintings and their acquisition by Dr. M. S. Randhawa for the Museum Advisor: Dr. Christian Luczanits

2011 Bachelor of Fine Arts with emphasis on Creative Writing School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Chicago, USA

Fellowships and Scholarships

Feb 2019-July 2020 Tagore National Scholarship for Cultural Research Awarded by the Ministry of Culture, Government of For provenance research of paintings acquired by Dr. M. S. Randhawa for the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh

March 2013-May 2015 Research Fellowship Awarded by The Raza Foundation, India For the publication The Oxford Readings in Indian Art with Dr. B. N. Goswamy, Professor Emeritus, Panjab University, curator and published author Researched and collected primary sources on visual arts in India, relating to iconography, aesthetics, inscriptions, colophons, and literary references, travellers’ accounts, and early writings on Indian art up to 1947 CE. Also translated some of the excerpts from and French

June-Aug 2011 Curatorial Fellowship At the Freer|Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC Catalogued Indian paintings from the collection on the basis of school, court, region of origin, published references, links to works in other collections, etc., and updated or corrected the data on The Museum System. Worked directly under Dr. Debra Diamond, Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art

2008-2011 Distinguished Scholars Merit Scholarship, SAIC, Chicago Reduction in tuition (pro-rata) awarded based on the portfolio submitted with the application for admission

July 2010 John Woods Scholarship, Prague Summer Program, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, in partnership with Charles University, Czech Republic

Reduced tuition for attending writing workshops and courses on Czech literature (translated)

Publications

Book

March 2020 Masterpieces, a booklet showcasing a selection of art works from the collections of the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh. To be made available to visitors for purchase upon the reopening of the museum. (Currently closed due to COVID-19)

Feb 2018 The Oxford Readings in Indian Art, edited by Dr. B.N. Goswamy with Vrinda Agrawal, Oxford University Press

Essays, journal, newspaper articles

6 Dec 2019 Article: Journeys to Fame – what makes art famous, and expensive published in the editorial section of DailyWorld newspaper, Chandigarh edition http://epaper.dailyworld.in/Details.aspx?id=80299&boxid=78008&uid=&dat=2019-12-06

Nov 2019 Essay “The Moorish Mosque of Kapurthala”, in Human and Heritage: An Archaeological Spectrum of Asiatic Countries, a felicitation volume published in honour of Professor Ajit Kumar by the Department of Archaeology, Kerala University. https://www.academia.edu/40916548/The_Moorish_Mosque_of_Kapurthala_Punjab

2018 “Piecing it Together: Three Dasavatara folios from a great Gita Govinda series”, published in Artibus Asiae Vol. 77, No. 2

Catalogues

Expected 2020 Essay “The Chandigarh Museum and its Early Acquisitions” to appear in Treasures of the Chandigarh Museum: Modern and Contemporary Art published by Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh with DAG ( Art Gallery)

April 2018 Seven catalogue entries (pp 59-75; 85-88; 93-94) in Spring Exhibition 2018: Recent Acquisitions, for Prahlad Bubbar Ltd., London

Feb 2018 18 artists’ bios in India’s French Connection: Indian Artists in France, DAG (Delhi Art Gallery)

Nov 2017 Artists’ timelines in India’s Rockefeller Artists, DAG (Delhi Art Gallery)

Oct 2017 “Asavari Ragini”, pp 42-43, in Immaculate Conception: Desire and Creative Impulse 300BC-1930, for Prahlad Bubbar Ltd., London, UK

June 2017 “George Keyt: A Distinct Modern Vision”, in George Keyt, Masterpiece XXVI, DAG (Delhi Art Gallery)

Sep 2016 “Elements of Abstraction in Ragamala Paintings”, p 32; and individual entries accompanying eleven paintings and drawings in La Lumiere de la Lune et du Soleil: The Arts of South Asia and Beyond, 1500-1930, Prahlad Bubbar Ltd., London

Conferences and Workshops

24-30 Nov 2019 Assistant to the convener, Prof. Nachiket Chanchani (University of Michigan), for a weeklong Transregional Academy on the theme, “India and the World: New Arcs of Knowledge” for doctoral students, postdoctoral scholars, mid-career professionals, senior academics, and museum leaders. Organised in collaboration with the Forum Transregionale Studien, Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max-Planck-Institut, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, , Dakshina Chitra Museum, Chennai, and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai

15-17 Feb 2019 Participated in a workshop on, “The Opportunities and Challenges of Exhibiting Indian Art in the 21st Century” at CSMVS, Mumbai under the Dr. Devangana Desai Endowment Art History Lecture Series for 2019. The workshop was curated by Prof. Nachiket Chanchani, University of Michigan

22 April 2018 Led an interactive walk at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, in collaboration with The Heritage Lab, for the release of The Oxford Readings in Indian Art

19 Feb 2018 Delivered a lecture on, “Elements of Abstraction in Pre-Modern Indian Painting”, at Roop-Aroop, a four-day workshop for young art writers organised by the Raza Foundation at India International Centre in New Delhi

Additional Work Experience

Feb 2018-2019 Project Coordinator and Writer Oversaw the detailing of artworks, shortlisted highlights, researched and wrote an essay on the history of the museum for the catalogue of Indian modern and contemporary art in the collection of the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, in collaboration with DAG (Delhi Art Gallery)

Aug-Sep 2018 Content Writer Wrote descriptive texts for 120 spots in Nek Chand’s Rock Garden, Chandigarh, for the app GoWhatsThat, which allows visitors to scan QR codes to read information in their chosen language

March-April 2018 Content Writer Wrote descriptive texts for 580 objects that are on display at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, for GoWhatsThat

May-Sep 2017 Senior Executive – Exhibitions and Publications DAG (Delhi Art Gallery), Hauz Khas, New Delhi. Researched material for exhibitions and the corresponding publications, on modern and contemporary Indian art

July-Aug 2015 Intern Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, Chandigarh, India. Researched the museum’s collections, and wrote content for informative material (audio guide, workbook, etc.) intended for visitors

Nov 2011-June 2012 Researcher, content writer, and designer Tourism Board, Chandigarh, India. Researched historical monuments, wrote content, and designed layouts for marketing materials (brochures, booklets for heritage walks, etc.) to promote tourism in Kapurthala, Punjab

Feb-May 2011 Research Assistant and Sep-Dec 2009 Worked under Prof. Debra N. Mancoff, Adjunct Professor at SAIC, Art Historian (American and European Art), and author. Researched and collected essential information on artists for the books Fifty American Artists You Should Know (2010) and Danger! Women Artists at Work (2012). Gathered and organised information on global art events for Prof. Mancoff’s annual contribution to Britannica Book of the Year

Awards

2010 and 2011 Certificate of Recognition, 16th and 17th Annual Leadership Dinner, SAIC

Languages • Fluent in English and Hindi • Able to read and translate Takri inscriptions • Diploma in French – DELF B1