The days when sacred images played a central role in Western art seem like a distant memory, but there are signs of a revival of interest in spiritual art among the academic community, art lovers and the general public. There are various reasons for this revival. One important element is globalisation, which has made possible a greater exposure to other cultures and their traditions. There is also the natural human desire for experiences that uplift the heart and inspire an awareness of a higher reality.
In India the genre of spiritual art has remained alive and flourishing. Moreover, Indian culture has never been fully separate from spirituality, and so Indian art is neither religious nor secular.Throughout the centuries, the subcontinent’s artists have produced a remarkable array of devotional art for education, meditation, and worship. To this day, the traditional art forms produced in India do not pursue beauty simply for its own sake, but utilize it as a means to awaken religious feeling and guide the viewer on the spiritual path.
Thus the purpose of spiritual art is to provide an 
intimate experience of divinity. Rather than seeking to seduce the eye, traditional artists direct their creative impulses into beautiful pieces that express a personal experience of divinity. While living art traditions have sometimes become commercial enterprises, making souvenirs for both tourists and pilgrims, there are still many talented and dedicated artists who, with integrity, expertise, and passion, maintain the purity of their traditions.
The development of a ‘museum of sacred art’ in Radhadesh was inspired by the many original art pieces already on display in the Château de Petite Somme. These paintings, although expressing themes described in ancient Vaishnava texts, were painted in the style of classical realism. The idea of the museum was to create a dedicated space where visitors could experience and learn the cultural roots of Vaishnava art and its connection to the broader world of Hindu philosophy.
As the project developed, however, it became clear that there was a broader mission that could be served with the creation of the museum. Spiritual art has a specialplace in the life of the subcontinent, but there are also many pressures deriving from the fast-paced modernisation of Indian society. A number of traditional Indian art styles are presently under threat, not only from lack of funding, but also due to the dwindling numbers of up-and-coming practitioners. Therefore, one of the museum’s purposes is to help support traditional Indian artists. By giving these artists more exposure in the West, it intends to encourage them to continue their work, and inspire them to train the next generation of artists.
The realization of the project’s first stage has been wonderfully swift. Although I hadbeen envisaging such a museum for several years, my colleagues and I could only start to research in 2007 and collect pieces in earnest. Since then the project has blossomed, with a substantial collection of art, and the creation of a dedicated gallery within the temple premises.
The curation of works exhitbited in the museum has necessitated several trips to India. Meeting artists and finding good representative pieces have been both challenging and rewarding. This initiative has confirmed that even today there are great artists completely devoted to their spiritual tradition. Visiting their simple studios and witnessing their humility has served as a great inspiration to us in creating this project, of presenting Indian devotional art to the West.
In the museum’s collection there are many well-known, respected artists such as B.G. Sharma and Indra Sharma, Bharti Dayal, G.L.N Simha, Ramesh Sharma, Mukesh Sharma and Reva Shanker Sharma. There are also many emerging talented artists like Vrindaban Dasa and Tilkesh Sharma, and those who remain unknown, just like the traditional artists through the centuries.
The main focus of the museum is on living art forms rather than historical pieces, even though it presents quite a broad selection of devotional traditions from India. There are some old miniatures from Rajasthan, but most of the pieces are from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The collection focuses on works by Indian artists and includes devotional paintings by ISKCON artists. A few works from Nepal, Tibet, Thailand and Indonesia are also a part of it. The curators felt that these would be a valuable addition to the collection, as they are representative of the spiritual and cultural connection that these places have had with India in the past. From Nepal and Tibet there are some exquisite metal icons, ceremonial artifacts and sacred objects that represent Hindu and Buddhist Newari art. Two panels of leather cut-outs depicting Rama and Sita, represent Thailand in the museum.The style reflects the traditional depiction of Rama and Sita in Ramakien, Thailand’s national epic, derived from the Indian Ramayana, which remains popular as performance drama even today.
The museum’s main gallery is situated in one of the annexe buildings, with many works on display in the château as well. The museum’s collection consists of paintings, sculptures, puppets, and sacred objects used in worship. Besides the permanent collection, the museum is planning to organise temporary exhibitions across Europe.
My personal inspiration in developing the museum at Radhadesh comes from the experience of growing up in an atmosphere permeated with art. My father, José Gurvich (1927-1974), who left Lithuania in 1932 to settle in Uruguay, is a renowned modern artist and a student of Joaquín Torres Garcia. This background has enabled me to see the similarities between Indian and Western artists—the desire to represent beauty and uplift the consciousness of human society.
The setting for a museum of sacred art could not be better: a thriving spiritual The community in a beautiful nineteenth-century château near the historic town of Durbuy, in the Belgian Ardennes. The meeting of old and new in this historic setting creates a unique backdrop for developing a love of devotional art.
Thousands of visitors from all over Europe come every year to visit Radhadesh. We hope to offer our visitors a glimpse of spirituality and culture, and an introduction to the rich spiritual art traditions of the Indian subcontinent. We sincerely wish that the visit to Museum of Sacred Art will embellish the experience of every visitor in connecting with the divine nature within themselves and the world around them.
Martin Gurvich
Director, Museum of Sacred Art