Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Aranyani

1996
Not on view
Mukherjee is primarily known for her fiber sculptures. Inspired by nature, Aranyani is a free standing work in deep hues of red and purple. The title translate as Goddess of the Forests. Seen frontally, the work appears to be in a state of unfurling, and its configuration of folds emphatically bringing to mind female genitalia. Unabashedly erotic, Mukherjee’s depiction of sexuality here is compelling for its focus on the potentiality, not culmination, of pleasure.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Aranyani
  • Artist: Mrinalini Mukherjee (Indian, Mumbai 1949–2015 New Delhi)
  • Date: 1996
  • Medium: Hemp
  • Dimensions: 55 7/8 × 50 × 40 15/16 in. (142 × 127 × 104 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of the Estate of Mrinalini Mukherjee, in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary, 2020
  • Object Number: 2020.211.2
  • Rights and Reproduction: Mrinalini Mukherjee Foundation
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Leaf Totem II, Mrinalini Mukherjee Indian, Ceramic
Leaf Totem II
Mrinalini Mukherjee
1996
Khol, Wood, leather, tuning paste, Indian
Khol
Indian
20th century
Portrait Face Mask (Mblo), Baule artist Baoulé, Wood, pigment, hemp, Baule peoples
Portrait Face Mask (Mblo)
Baule artist
19th–mid-20th century
Palmscape IX, Mrinalini Mukherjee Indian, Bronze
Palmscape IX
Mrinalini Mukherjee
2015
Helmet, Steel, textile, copper alloy, Indian, possibly Central Indian
Helmet
Indian, possibly Central Indian
18th–19th century

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.