KATHMANDU, Dec 22: The Welt Museum Vienna, one of the most renowned ethnographic museums in the world, is organizing an exhibition to showcase the best works of Nepali contemporary and traditional art to a worldwide audience. Nepal Art Council, a national institution founded in 1962 to promote the arts and artists of Nepal is the home-country, partner and collaborator for this project.

As per a press statement released by Nepal Art Council, the exhibition ‘NEPAL ART NOW’ is scheduled for April 11 –November 5, 2019, in Vienna, considered being the art city of Europe. This exhibition will be the first major exhibition outside of Nepal, with such a large body of artworks solely by Nepali contemporary artists. A careful selection of artists and art works (about 37 artists and 100 artworks) by Dr Christian Shicklgruber, Director/ Chief Curator Welt Museum and assisted by Nepal Art Council will be showcased at the Welt Museum, earlier the Hofburg Imperial Palace. The project was conceived in 2016. . NEPAL ART NOW is curated by Dr Christian Shicklgruber with Swosti Rajbhandari Kayastha from the Council as co-curator.  Sagar SJB Rana, Vice-President is the coordinator on behalf of the Council.

Original art works by the premier artists dating from the 1950s, the senior and the young emerging artists of today will compliment and enrich the collection. Some of the art works are commissioned especially for this exhibition and others borrowed from collectors and the artists directly. The art works are embedded in the culture and traditions of Nepal but also discuss and probe into current international issues and social concerns, giving them a global dimension.

Art historians emphasize and stress the overriding influence of the art work of European masters in the evolution of contemporary art of the East. This exhibition will demonstrate and propagate the superb quality of the contemporary art of Nepal globally and underline the coming of age of Asian contemporary art that now compares well with the best works produced in the West.

The main body of the art works will be the paintings. However, some outstanding sculptures and a few representative pieces of metal, wooden and stone art will also be exhibited with a view to demonstrate and inform the art community and visitors that these genre of art forms occupy equally important and vibrant space in the art of Nepal.

A pre show exhibition at Nepal Art Council , Babar Mahal began on December 13 and will continue till Saturday.