Phoenix Art Museum opens Nagendran Gallery for Sri Lankan art
A $5 million gift from philanthropist Sukumar Nagendran has funded a major expansion of the Phoenix Art Museum's Asian art wing, creating a new gallery dedicated to Sri Lankan and South Asian art. The space opens November 13 with an inaugural exhibition by contemporary artist Pala Pothupitiye.
The Phoenix Art Museum has announced the Dr. Sukumar Nagendran Wing for the Art of Asia, anchored by a new 2,000-square-foot gallery for Sri Lankan and South Asian art. The Nagendran Gallery will open on November 13 with the exhibition 'Pala Pothupitiye: Mapping a Sri Lankan Consciousness,' curated by Tushara Bindu Gude. The $5 million donation from physician and biotech executive Sukumar Nagendran supports acquisitions, research, and public programming focused on this region.
Philanthropist’s background and long-standing ties to the museum
Dr. Sukumar Nagendran is an Arizona-based philanthropist, physician, and the president of Taysha Gene Therapies. He was introduced to the museum about a decade ago by fellow philanthropists Coleene and Barry Fernando. The Fernandos have been key in building the museum's Sri Lankan holdings, donating more than 130 works and a collection of photographs. Their contributions and loans made major exhibitions like 'The Guardian of the Flame: Art of Sri Lanka' in 2003 and 'Legacy of Ceylon: Art and Photography of Sri Lanka' in 2021 possible. Nagendran has also supported civic projects in Sri Lanka, including the construction of medical facilities and schools.
Exhibition explores colonial legacy through contemporary and historical art
The inaugural exhibition pairs multidisciplinary work by Colombo-based artist Pala Pothupitiye with historical Sri Lankan art from the museum's collection. Pothupitiye's work-which includes sculpture, assemblage, painting, and modified colonial maps-confronts the social and political effects of centuries of Portuguese, Dutch, and British occupation. It explores themes of caste, spirituality, and ancestral craft. The historical context is provided by illustrated palm-leaf manuscripts, Buddhist sculptures, and mid-20th-century photographs by Quintus Fernando, Barry Fernando's father. His photographs document archaeological sites, dancers, and other aspects of island culture.
Museum’s expanding Asian art capacity and national significance
The Nagendran gift enables a significant physical expansion, growing the museum's Asian art galleries from approximately 6,000 to 10,000 square feet. This new space will allow the museum to display roughly 4,000 works from its collection of more than 21,000 Asian and Asian-affiliated pieces. Museum director Jeremy Mikolajczak stated that the institution's Asian arts holdings, which include a significant and unique collection of historical Sri Lankan works, distinguish it nationally and provide a foundation for scholarship and public engagement. Sukumar Nagendran said: "Through this gift, I have the opportunity to build a partnership that explores and celebrates historical and contemporary Sri Lankan art on a global scale."
The exhibition 'Pala Pothupitiye: Mapping a Sri Lankan Consciousness' opens November 13 and inaugurates the new Nagendran Gallery.
