Rajeshwari Shah

Biography

Rajeshwari began her career in the cultural sector after completing her Masters in History of Art. After finishing her Masters at the National Museum Institute she became an intern in the Department of Paintings at the National Museum, New Delhi. She then worked at the museum on various exhibitions and the renovation of the new permanent gallery of Indian miniature painting. Rajeshwari also worked with the National Museum to produce several publications related to miniature paintings from the collection.

Rajeshwari was selected as the Norma Jean Calderwood Intern for the Department of Islamic and Later Indian Art at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University Art Museums. Upon completing her internship she received a one-year Baird fellowship from Harvard University Art Museums. She then went as a visiting scholar to the Freer and Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. She subsequently worked as a research assistant with the Shahanama Project at the University of Cambridge. When this position came to an end Rajeshwari became an independent curator and arts researcher for museums across India and other arts institutions. She has worked as a consultant editor for the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. In 2016, she received the prestigious Tagore National Scholarship from the Government of India to work on the Deccan Miniatures in the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad. In this role Rajeshwari is presently writing a catalogue of her research.

At the British Museum
During her time on the International Training Programme in 2012, Rajeshwari was based in the Asia Department and her partner placement was spent at Glasgow Museums.

In 2012 an element of the programme was a series of presentations, in which groups of participants presented a 10-minute illustrated talk, prompted by the task to consider a new display at the British Museum.  Rajeshwari’s exhibition project proposal was entitled Continuing Tradition which explored the miniature painting tradition through the lens of contemporary artists in different countries.

Rajeshwari’s place on the International Training Programme was generously supported by the Charles Wallace India Trust.