Partnership with the
Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad
A V&A-led staff exchange to develop a partnership
focused on joint exhibitions and conservation projects
Partners
- Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)
- Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad (SJM)
Aims
- To develop a partnership focused on joint exhibitions and
conservation projects
- To enable staff to share their skills and experiences
Key event: V&A staff visit to the
SJM
About the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad
The
SJM sits on the banks of the River Musi, Hyderabad and houses one
of the largest one-man-collections in the world. It
includes over 43,000 art objects, 9,000 manuscripts and 47,000
printed books from India, the Middle East, Europe and the Far
East.
It has 38 galleries spread over two floors. There are
further co-ordinating sections such as the Education Wing, Photo
Section, Chemical Conservation Laboratory and a Display
Section.
Increasing the profile of the Salar Jung
Museum
The Director and staff at the SJM are
committed to developing and improving the museum, and keen to
update the facilities to enable the SJM to become a venue for
international exhibitions.
Dr Reddy, the Director, was concerned about a number
of conservation issues affecting the building itself and the
collections, and hoped that the visit from staff at the V&A
would result in recommendations to benefit the state of the
building and objects.
The visit, 13–18 November 2008
The visiting V&A staff assessed the requirements of the museum
from the perspectives of collections care, exhibition and storage,
and identified areas where there could be future collaboration
between the V&A and the SJM.
The visit included discussions with staff and visits
to gallery spaces, on-site storage areas, student rooms and
conservation laboratories.
Future collaborations
The visit
highlighted the potential areas of future collaboration with the
V&A, as well as the development of a preventative care of
collections programme to protect textile, metals and
miniatures.
The developments will benefit the visitor, the collections and
the reputation of the museum, as well as continue to build a strong
relationship with the V&A.
Image:
A member of staff at the Salar Jung Museum