BOSTON–Laura Weinstein is the Ananda Coomaraswamy Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, where she has spent more than a decade helping audiences connect with the rich artistic traditions of India, South Asia, and the Islamic world.
Since joining the museum in 2009, Weinstein has overseen the reinstallation of the museum’s South and Southeast Asian galleries as well as its Islamic art collection, bringing new life and perspective to some of the MFA’s most treasured works. She has also curated several major exhibitions, including the ongoing Divine Color exhibition and a traveling showcase of Islamic art from the museum’s collection.
To watch a full video interview with her, please click here, or on the image below.
Known for making complex art histories engaging and accessible, Weinstein combines deep scholarship with a genuine love for storytelling and cultural exploration. Her work spans both historical and contemporary art, and she has curated exhibitions ranging from Persian manuscripts to modern Asian photography and urban culture.
Weinstein earned her Ph.D. from Columbia University, focusing on 16th-century Persian manuscripts created in India’s Deccan region — a subject that continues to inspire her research today. Over the years, she has written extensively on South Asian and Islamic art and authored several books, including Arts of South Asia, which highlights the extraordinary breadth of the MFA’s collection, from bronze sculptures and miniature paintings to textiles and metalwork spanning more than 4,000 years of history.
In this Face-to-Face conversation, Weinstein speaks about her long-standing fascination with Indian and South Asian art, her annual travels to India, and the evolving ways museums can help audiences engage with culture, history, and identity through art. She also offers insights into the MFA’s remarkable collection of ancient Indian and South Asian works and discusses how exhibitions like Divine Color create new conversations around tradition, spirituality, craftsmanship, and artistic expression across generations.
