American artist Maura Moynihan’s painting exhibition ‘Who Loves Kathmandu More Than Me?’ is on display at Kathmandu Art Gallery, Maharajgunj. Paintings using watercolor are featured in the exhibition.

A press statement from the gallery quoted Moynihan as saying: “When you fall under the spell of the Kathmandu Valley, it is impossible not to paint. Every day I discover a new temple, a secret stupa, another jatra.”

“As Picasso said: Painting is just another way of keeping a diary; so I use watercolors –they dry quickly–suitable for keeping a diary,” Moynihan said. “I have great admiration for the people of Nepal. Nepal’s stability is sustained by the artisans, shamans, and pujaris who perform the rituals that are the foundations of daily life, and have sustained a great civilization for over 2,500 years. Lord Buddha was a Shakya prince when most of humanity was mired in barbarism. And so I say, Jai Nepal.”  

According to the press statement, she visited Kathmandu in 1973 when her father, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, served as the United States Ambassador to India. Her love for the unique artistic and cultural heritage of Nepal continues to this day.  In 1999 she had her first exhibition in Kathmandu at Siddhartha Gallery, and spent many years in Nepal as a designer, painter and author. 

In New York City, Moynihan was a consultant to the Rubin Museum of Art, an institution dedicated to the arts of the Himalayas. In the 1980’s she worked for many years with the artist Andy Warhol at Interview Magazine and Andy 
Warhol’s TV.

The exhibition, which began on April 21, continues till May 5.