Neil MacGregor's Lecture

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) cordially invite you to the 2nd Keynote Lecture of the special international exhibition at CSMVS, "Networks of the Past: A Study Gallery of India and the Ancient World', by Neil MacGregor. The Gallery, presently showing at CSMVS, tells the story of the first river civilisations of Harappa (Sindhu-Sarasvati), Mesopotamia, ancient China, ancient Egypt, as well as the mediterranean cultures of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as Persia.

Neil MacGregor, one of the world's leading voices in art history, will provide insights into how and why this gallery was shaped and put together, across continents, with multiple museums and curators, in a "global co-curation" exercise.

Supported by Getty and Citi, the Gallery has come together as a partnership between the CSMVS and the British Museum; the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin; Museum Rietberg Zurich; The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait; the Benaki Museum, Athens; and Ephorate of Antiquities of the City of Athens, Ministry of Culture, Greece. The Ministry of Culture, Government of India has also supported via loans from the rich collections of the Archaeological Survey of India; the National Museum, New Delhi; the Indian Museum, Kolkata; the Government Museum, Mathura; the State Museum, Lucknow; the Allahabad Museum, Prayagraj; the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Maharashtra; and the Bihar Museum, Patna.

We are pleased to invite you to join for this very special lecture on Tuesday, 22nd September 2026, at 6.30 pm, at the Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai. Refreshments begin at 6 pm.

We look forward to welcoming you.