ABOUT EACH BOOK . . . (click in its window to read a selection)
SIKH ART: from the Kapany Collection
Published by the Sikh Foundation International,
Palo Alto, California
320 pages, profusely illustrated
MARK'S SUMMARY:
This volume brings together leading international scholars of Sikhism and of Sikh art to assess and interpret the remarkable art resource known as the Kapany Collection, using it to introduce to a broad public the culture, history, and ethos of the Sikhs. Fifteen renowned scholars and curators contributed essays describing the passion and vision of Narinder and Satinder Kapany in assembling this unparalleled assemblage of great Sikh art, some of which has been displayed in exhibitions around the globe. (Many objects in the collection will soon be permanently housed and displayed in a Montreal museum.)
As a young Indian-born physicist working in London, Dr. Kapany was an early developer of fiber optics; he later became a legendary high-tech business leader in Silicon Valley. His legacy of philanthropic work, including the establishment of the Sikh Foundation International (now celebrating its 54th year) and several university departments of Sikh studies around the United States, supports the Sikh belief that “liberation is not personal but collective.” The chapters of this book examine selective representations of the arts and culture of the Sikhs through centuries of persecution, and consider them as expressions of a deeply personal Sikh faith and Gurseva, or service to the Guru.
Palo Alto, California
320 pages, profusely illustrated
MARK'S SUMMARY:
This volume brings together leading international scholars of Sikhism and of Sikh art to assess and interpret the remarkable art resource known as the Kapany Collection, using it to introduce to a broad public the culture, history, and ethos of the Sikhs. Fifteen renowned scholars and curators contributed essays describing the passion and vision of Narinder and Satinder Kapany in assembling this unparalleled assemblage of great Sikh art, some of which has been displayed in exhibitions around the globe. (Many objects in the collection will soon be permanently housed and displayed in a Montreal museum.)
As a young Indian-born physicist working in London, Dr. Kapany was an early developer of fiber optics; he later became a legendary high-tech business leader in Silicon Valley. His legacy of philanthropic work, including the establishment of the Sikh Foundation International (now celebrating its 54th year) and several university departments of Sikh studies around the United States, supports the Sikh belief that “liberation is not personal but collective.” The chapters of this book examine selective representations of the arts and culture of the Sikhs through centuries of persecution, and consider them as expressions of a deeply personal Sikh faith and Gurseva, or service to the Guru.