Sona Datta

Sona Datta has curatorial charge of the Medieval South Asia collections. While her doctoral research was on medieval South Indian temple architecture, her recent interests have focused on modernism in South Asia, and she has a particular interest in the painting of Jamini Roy, which forms the subject of her book Urban Patua (2010).

She has been developing the Museum's modern collections, most recently making important acquisitions from contemporary Pakistan.

A graduate of King’s College, Cambridge University, Sona has had a long-standing involvement in the art and culture of South Asia. She speaks Bengali and has studied Tamil and Sanskrit. She joined the Museum in 2005, receiving her doctorate in 2010.

Contact

sdatta@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 7323 8232

Current projects

• South Asia Curator, ZNM Project

Previous projects

• Exhibitions
  Garden and Cosmos: the royal paintings of Jodhpur (2009)
  Trees of Orissa (2009)
  Faith, Narrative and Desire: Masterpieces of Indian painting at the British Museum (2007)Voices of Bengal (2006)

• Television
  “Durga at The Museum” (BBC Wales) part of 12 part series, The Museum
  “Tara” and ”Siva & Parvati” (BBC 4) Masterpieces from the British Museum
  Durga: the goddess comes to London (Channel 5, Maya vision International)

External fellowships/ honorary positions/ membership of professional bodies

• Elected Scholar of Cambridge University (1994)

• GWH Rylands prize for Excellence in the History of Art, Cambridge University (1994)

• Member of Society of South Asian Studies

• Member of American Council for South Asian Art

Recent publications

S. Datta, Urban Patua, the Art of Jamini Roy, (The Marg Foundation, 2010)

S. Datta, "Jamini Roy and the folk art paradigm", in The Lesser Known Traditions of Indian Painting, ed. Dallapiccola, (Niyogi Books, 2011)

S.Datta, "Celebrating National Treasures: Jamini Roy’s Quest for a Modern India" in Orientations, Vol. 42 No. 7, October 2011, pp. 84-89