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Arguably, India is the flavour of the moment in Europe, whether it is fiction, cinema, performing arts, cuisine—or even contemporary Indian art that is beginning to make tiny ripples there. The trouble with these “flavours” is that, like most fads, they have a sell-by date. What endures, however, are the manifestations of Indian cultural legacy. In other words, the classic stuff that highlights India’s various golden ages of the past, its pinnacles of aesthetic achievements, and its high points of civilization. And, of course, its ancient shadow on much of Asia.

The exhibition on the Gupta Empire (4th-6th centuries) that opens at the prestigious Grand Palais in Paris on April 4 will, presumably, do just that. Titled “L’Age d’or de l’Inde classique. L’Empire des Gupta” (The Golden Age of Ancient India. The Gupta Empire), it spans the reigns of this  dynasty, beginning with its founder, Chandragupta I.

Curated chronologically, the exhibition incorporates in its wide sweep the evolution, blossoming and peak of the Gupta period. A few sculptures from the Kushan Empire (1st-3rd centuries) demonstrate the impact of the sculpture of the earlier dynasty on the style and iconography of Gupta art. Moreover, the aesthetic canons, stylistic innovations iconography established during the rule of the Gupta dynasty had staying power. Centuries later they influenced the art of Nepal, South East Asia and Central Asia.

Organized by the governments of France and India--Réunion des musées nationaux (National Museums of France), the Musee Guimet and the National Museum, New Delhi—this ambitious exhibition has been a long time in the making, with a few hiccups along the way. It includes masterpieces of the Gupta period that have been loaned by several museums in North India. Rarely have these works of art been assembled for an exhibition. It is a first for Europe.

The sculptures were brought from the Uttar Pradesh National Museum, the Gujari Mahal Museum in Gwalior, the Allahabad Museum and Indian Museum, Kolkata. Included as well are those from the Archeological Collection of Nachna Kuthara in Madhya Pradesh, apart from the prized collections of the Mathura Museum and the National Museum in Delhi. The exhibition has been curated by Jean-Francois Jarrige, Amina Okada and Thierry Zephir from the Musee Guimet and the late Professor MC Joshi who was the honorary Director-General of the Archeological Survey of India and JE Dawson from the National Museum in New Delhi.

A fine collection of gold coins commemorates the monarchs of the Gupta dynasty. But the heart of the show is its display of sculptures. There are over a hundred Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sculptures—in bronze, stone and terracotta.  Particularly impressive are the pink sandstone sculptures from Mathura and the beige sandstone of Sarnath, the two important centres of creativity in the fifth century. There is an air of sublime grace about these images of divinity that are testimony to the artistic genius of the Gupta period.

The exhibition may also turn out to be a mini India festival with screenings of films by Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Guru Dutt. Thee will be Kathak performances by Sharmila Sharma, a workshop for children and conferences on Ajanta paintings.

(The writer is a columnist and author)