Norton Simons Museum

On the Enlightened Path: Jain Art from India

November 21, 2008 - July 13, 2009

Pasadena, CA

The Norton Simon Museum presents On the Enlightened Path: Jain Art from India, an exhibition that examines the artistic traditions of one of the world's oldest yet least known religions, Jainism. Installed in the rotating Asian gallery on the lower level of the Museum, this exhibition includes approximately 20 sculptures, paintings and manuscripts.

Founded in India in the sixth century BC by Vardhamana Mahavira, Jainism encourages personal meditation, following a strict ethical code and practicing ahimsa, or non-violence and kindness toward every living creature. Followers, called Jains, believe in a lineage of twenty-four liberated souls known as Jinas (conqueror or liberator), who have achieved liberation from the endless chain of rebirth and serve as spiritual guides to others on the same path. The Jain community is comprised of both lay and monastic members. Monks and nuns are either Digambara, which means "sky-clad," and do not wear clothing, or Svetambara, "white-clad," and wear simple white robes. In modern-day India, the Jain community comprises roughly 10 million followers, less than one-half of one percent of the country's population.

On the Enlightened Path features a dazzling selection of traditional Jain artworks from the Norton Simon collections. In the Jain community, illustrated sacred texts such as the Kalpasutra (Book of Sacred Precepts) and sculptures depicting various Jinas are the primary focus of artistic output. The exhibition presents a fine selection of bronze, marble and schist sculptures from the 9th to the 15th centuries, used for worship in both home altars and temples. A colorful and intricate Jain tantric diagram, or Yantra, from the 15th century, rich in cosmic iconography, was used as a meditation aid. Selections of the Museum's rare, complete 16th-century Kalpasutra manuscript, recently donated by Narendra and Rita Parson, are on view for the first time. Together, these works provide visitors an opportunity to learn more about this fascinating religion, its followers, and its dynamic artistic traditions.

On the Enlightened Path is organized by Christine Knoke, Curator, Norton Simon Museum. Exhibition-related public programs include the lecture Expression of Divinity and Liberation in Jain Art by Lisa N. Owen, Assistant Professor of Art History, University of North Texas, on Friday, February 13, at 7:00 p.m. Owen explores the variety of ways that notions of divinity and liberation are articulated in Jain art by examining the stone and metal sculptures of Jinas and Jain deities featured in On the Enlightened Path: Jain Art from India. How such images are used in devotional practices is also addressed. In addition to this lecture, Curator Christine Knoke leads 45-minute tours of the exhibition on April 8, April 22 and May 6 at 3:00 p.m.

About the Norton Simon Museum

The Norton Simon Museum is known around the world as one of the most remarkable private art collections ever assembled. Over a 30-year period, 20th-century industrialist Norton Simon (1907-1993) amassed an astonishing collection of European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century, and a stellar collection of South and Southeast Asian art spanning 2,000 years. Modern and Contemporary Art from Europe and the United States, acquired by the former Pasadena Art Museum, also occupies an important place in the Museum's collections. The Museum houses more than 12,000 objects, roughly 1,000 of which are on view in the galleries and gardens. Three temporary exhibition galleries feature rotating installations of artworks not on permanent display.

• Location:
  The Norton Simon Museum is located at 411 West Colorado Blvd. at Orange Grove Blvd. in Pasadena, California, at the intersection of the Foothill (210) and Ventura (134) freeways. For general Museum information, please call (626) 449-6840 or visit www.nortonsimon.org.
  
  
• Hours:
  The Museum is open every day except Tuesday, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday.
  
  
• Admission:
  General admission is $8.00 for adults and $4.00 for seniors. Members, students with I.D., and patrons age 18 and under are admitted free of charge. Admission is free for everyone on the first Friday of every month from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. All public programs, unless stated otherwise, are free. The Museum is wheelchair accessible.
  
  
• Parking:
  Parking is free and no reservations are necessary.
  
  
• Public Transportation:
  The City of Pasadena provides a shuttle bus to transport passengers through the Pasadena Playhouse district, the Lake Avenue shopping district and Old Pasadena. A shuttle stop is located in front of the Museum. Please visit www.cityofpasadena.net/artsbus for schedules. The MTA bus line #180/181 stops in front of the Museum. The Memorial Park Station on the MTA Gold Line is the closest Metro Rail station to the Museum, and is located at 125 East Holly Street at Arroyo Parkway. Please visit www.metro.net for schedules.