This volume compiles in a succinct and visually compelling way a lasting record of the remarkable collectionof Punjabi artworks and historical memorabilia representing the cultural history of the Punjab, assembled byDr. Parvinderjit Singh Khanuja and his family. Dr. Khanuja has added here his personal perspectives on thehistorical importance and the meaningfulness of these objects, through essays accompanying the images andcaptions compiled in each of the chapters. The range of the collection is vast, reflecting the depth and variety ofPunjabi artistic achievements – collectively forming a book of value to many fields.
The sourcebook of Punjabi history and art that we present here, drawn from the Khanuja Family Collection, isa unique and significant compilation that will be useful to scholars in many fields. It is beautifully illustrated,systematic, and replete with detailed information about each of the objects – yet not at all like a typical museumcatalog of a public or private collection. It is “systematic” in its careful illustration and identification of theobjects, primarily giving voice to the honest and inspiring views of the collector, allowing readers to join theKhanuja family in their enthusiastic retracing of Punjabi cultural history and the Sikh ethos through the tourthey provide of objects in their collection
About the Author
Dr. Parvinderjit Singh Khanuja is an oncologist and researcher who practices in Chandler and Mesa. He and his wife, Parveen, are members of Phoenix Art Museum’s Director’s Circle and Asian Arts Council. They also have a personal collection of Sikh art. Recently, Dr. Khanuja made a generous donation for a named space in the Museum’s Asian Art Gallery that will be dedicated to displaying Sikh art. This space is one of only two such exhibit spaces in the country, allowing Phoenix Art Museum to present Sikh art on an ongoing basis.
