For decades, Mimi Wilson Dozier was the impassioned ringleader of VMFA’s Friends of Indian Art. Together with former curator Dr. Joseph M. Dye III she introduced a generation of Richmond-area residents to the subcontinent’s enchanting artistic creations. Encouraged by her husbands, Perk and Kemp, Mimi gradually amassed a first-rate collection of Indian miniature paintings.
The Image of Sri Nathji Enshrined at Nathadwara, ca. 1830-1840, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection The Image of Sri Nathji Enshrined at Nathadwara, ca. 1830-1840, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection
Page from a Rasikapriya Series: Radha Sends a Message to Krishna, late 17th century, Indian, Rajasthan, Bundi, opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection Page from a Rasikapriya Series: Radha Sends a Message to Krishna, late 17th century, Indian, Rajasthan, Bundi, opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection
Karttikeya Slays a Demon, late 18th century, opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection Karttikeya Slays a Demon, late 18th century, opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection
Page from a Ramanyana Series: A Messenger Bids Bharata and Shatrughna to Return to Ayodhya, ca. 1775, opaque watercolor on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection Page from a Ramanyana Series: A Messenger Bids Bharata and Shatrughna to Return to Ayodhya, ca. 1775, opaque watercolor on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection
Page from a Ramanyana Series, ca. 1725-50, opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection Page from a Ramanyana Series, ca. 1725-50, opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection
Durbar of Maharaja Bhim Singh of Jodhpur, ca. 1795, opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection Durbar of Maharaja Bhim Singh of Jodhpur, ca. 1795, opaque watercolor and gold on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection
Page from a Ragamala Series: Malashri Ragini, early 18th century, opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection Page from a Ragamala Series: Malashri Ragini, early 18th century, opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper. Mimi and Perk Wilson Collection
These 24 works, now on view in the museum’s Indian Pavilion Gallery, include superb examples from many of North India’s myriad regional painting schools. They are presented in a loosely thematic arrangement that foregoes art history’s typical chronological and geographic march, instead allowing the viewer to consider images created across periods and places, related to one another by subject matter.
What initially drew this Richmond collector to Indian paintings was their bright colors, flat surfaces, and stylized figures. With time, she became every bit as delighted by these works’ subtleties and sophistications. VMFA’s visitors now have the opportunity to be captivated, by these paintings’ colors, their intricacies, and their transporting charm.
Dr. John Henry Rice, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art