Welcome to The Art & Culture Weekly Recap, your go-to source for the latest and most interesting news stories from the world of art and culture.

Tamil Nadu: On this 13th century tombstone, is India’s oldest inscription in Hebrew

A tombstone with a Hebrew inscription was found near Periyapattinam area of Ramanathapuram (Tamil Nadu, India). This is now being described as one of the oldest Hebrew inscriptions found in India. Hathim Ali, a local, found the stone with the inscription in a coconut farm. Photos of the tombstone were sent to a historian and Hebrew calligrapher in Dubai for it to be deciphered; he has dated it between 1224 and 1226 AD based on the inscription.

London: Barbie is 65 & the Design Museum is celebrating with an exhibition

250 exhibits (including 180 dolls) tell the story of Barbie – from first launch in 1959 to the present day. Highlights include a rare first edition of the very first doll released by Mattel in 1959 (‘Number 1 Barbie’), the groundbreaking Day to Night Barbie from 1985 and the best-selling Barbie of all time, 1992’s Totally Hair Barbie which sold over 10 million across the globe.

The exhibition runs until February 2025. If you had a chance, would you go for it? If yes, please consider sharing your photos for our featured photo essay about the exhibition.

Istanbul: a restored Hammam has re-opened, now with a Museum

One of Istanbul’s oldest hammams, Zeyrek Çinili (’tiled’ in Turkish) in the city’s UNESCO World Heritage Site district of Zeyrek, has re-opened after 13 years of renovation. In addition, it also houses a museum now, celebrating Turkey’s bathing culture! A museum about bathing — we love the thought of that!

Lahore Masters: a museum’s Modern Art Collection, re-curated.

The Alhamra Art Museum has been reimagined by curator Asad Hayee. The collection houses works by important artists like – A.R Chughtai, Zubeida Agha, Zainul Abedin, Allah Bux and others.

“The reframing and curating of this most important collection has totally transformed its historical narrative and aesthetic impact. The spaces and lighting have been redesigned, making a visit to the museum a pleasurable educational and cultural experience.”

– Salima Hashmi (artist) to Dawn

Indonesia, not Europe has the oldest cave art

The painting, located in the limestone cave of Leang Karampuang in the Maros-Pangkep region of South Sulawesi, portrays three human-like figures interacting with a wild pig.

New Delhi : Who is Biswarup Bose?

A visitor took it upon himself to reveal the lazy curation at the Prime Minister’s Museum in New Delhi — calling it a ‘blatant attempt to erase Nehru’. Museums have always been political, but this one goes a bit too far.