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This is the first-ever retrospective of the Indian modern artist Avinash Chandra who lived most of his life in the West, in London and New York. The artist, who had trained in New Delhi, left soon after for London, and most of his practice was limited to London and New York, the two cities he called his home till his unfortunately early death in 1991. In the roughly three-and-a-half decades of his career, Avinash’s work changed amazingly, reflecting his environment and milieu as he grew and adapted to cities vastly different from their Indian counterparts, with their own sub-cultures. That this happily coincided with a discovery of India, however superfluously, as a land of spirituality and sexuality, seemed to serve him well as his muse.

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One of India’s most important artists, Chittaprosad recorded pivotal political and social movements in the country, such as the Great Bengal Famine of 1943-44 and its fallout, in heart-wrenching sketches and drawings, alongside protests against colonialism, economic exploitation, urban poverty and depravity, just as beautifully as the many drawings, linocuts and scraper board illustrations he made for children, recording a beatific phase of plenitude and family values, and involving himself with marionettes for their entertainment.

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A translation of Rani Chanda's (nee Dey) essay/ memoir of Nandalal Bose, her teacher, and his friendship with Mukul Dey (Chanda's elder brother) and Jamini Roy. 

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One of the most distinguished families in Bengal, the Tagores exercised unparalleled influence over the cultural landscape of the region. The Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore (1861 - 1941), and two of his nephews, Gaganendranath Tagore (1867-1938) and Abanindranath Tagore (1871 - 1951) were recognised as India’s National Art Treasure artists. Sunayani Devi (1875 -1962), their sister, is regarded as one of modern India’s first women painters known by name. Her lyrical paintings and embroideries often looked inward to an imagined world of fables and myths. At the turn of the twentieth century, we see Abanindranath emerging as the founder of the Bengal School as he envisioned a new Indian art that was free of colonial influence, rooted in pan-Asianism. Gaganendranath, on the other hand, was a prolific satirist and cartoonist, who imagined new forms and perspectives inspired by Cubism. Together they formed the influential Indian Society of Oriental Art in 1907, while Rabindranath’s school and university at Santiniketan would continue to shape modern art in Bengal for generations to come.

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For its debut participation in the modern section of Art Dubai 2017, DAG focussed on the unconventional theme of Neo-Tantra as a way of bringing India’s unique school of abstraction to global attention. The booth featured works by two of the country’s leading practitioners of this school—G. R. Santosh and Biren De. The stunning, colour- and energy-filled canvases drew all eyes towards itself, making it the singularly most-visited booth in the section.

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European artists and architects were deeply influenced by the rich cultural heritage and artistic traditions of India, which, in turn, influenced their architectural designs. Artistic representations served as a bridge between cultures, leading to the incorporation of Indian motifs, styles, and decorative elements in colonial architecture. Learn More

England shaped Altaf’s political consciousness as well as his persona. He engaged in the anti-apartheid demonstration at Trafalgar Square held against the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela; a peaceful protest at the American Embassy opposing the bombing in North Vietnam; the Aldermaston March against the nuclear bomb; the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; he became a member of the Youth Wing of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) and the Young Communist League (YCL). Any examination of the theoretical aspect of Altaf’s work must start with the knowledge that the work in question exemplified an element of ‘existentialist’ thought. 

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‘Iconic Masterpieces of Indian Modern Art, Edition 2’ opened on 11 February at DAG’s Janpath Gallery in New Delhi featuring fifty artworks which shaped the trajectory of pre-modern and modern art in the country. As part of the exhibition, Giles Tillotson speaks on the Dutch Orientalist Marius Bower’s painting ‘Witte Pauw’ where he tries to evoke the sense of a Rajput court through motifs like peacock feathers, along with adding an element of fantasy. Learn More

‘Iconic Masterpieces of Indian Modern Art, Edition 2’ opened on 11 February at DAG’s Janpath Gallery in New Delhi featuring fifty artworks which shaped the trajectory of pre-modern and modern art in the country. As part of the exhibition, Kishore Singh speaks on P. Khemraj’s ‘Charpoi’ painting and its sensualist language. The autobiographical elements of the work and its depiction of universally felt emotions within a language of abstraction, personalizes its appeal. Learn More

Chittaprosad (1915 – 1978) was an artist of the people. A firm believer in the power of political art to bring tangible change in society, he is remembered for political cartoons and caricatures lampooning the ruling elite while championing the cause of the working class.

He was also a dedicated journalist working for the Communist Party of India (CPI) and was sent by the party to document the effects of the Great Bengal Famine of 1943 in Bengal’s villages and towns. He would come back with harrowing stories and sketches of hunger and death and publish them in the CPI’s journal People’s War, something that would prove to be extremely important in the face of British censorship on news about the famine.

Post-Independence, Chittaprosad distanced himself from the CPI due to ideological differences and moved to the outskirts of Bombay. He continued registering protest through his art but focussed increasingly on art for children. He setup a puppet studio, Khela-ghar and created beautiful retellings of epics and folk tales in print.

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'Home is a Place’ explores the visual world of the home as a physical space having both an exterior and an interior—with all its magic, hope and memories—in villages and towns. Our homes are central to our existence and society, being the reason for shaping towns and countries, civilisations and histories. The exhibition covers the complexity of lives within the jurisdiction of the home—women at their toilettes, women painted alone gazing out of the window or gossiping in a group; figures working in their library, engaged in household work, or as parents bathing children; a family posing together or feuding over a game of cards, food or egos; and those fighting tyranny or painted as embracing lovers. Altaf Ambika Dhurandhar Amit Ambalal Anonymous Anonymous (Kalighat Pat) Anonymous (Waring & Gillow) Avinash Chandra Badri Narayan Bijan Choudhary Chakravorty Chittaprosad Dattatraya Apte Dhanraj Bhagat G. R. Santosh Ganesh Pyne Gogi Saroj Pal Gopal Ghose Haren Das Hemen Mazumdar Hiranmoy Indra Dugar Indu Rakshit Jagadish Dey Jagmohan Chopra Jamini Roy Jyoti Bhatt K. C. S. Paniker K. S. Kulkarni Kisory Roy M. A. R. Chughtai M. Bulkley M. F. Husain M. V. Dhurandhar Madhvi Parekh Maniklal Banerjee N. R. Sardesai Nandalal Bose Navjot Nemai Ghosh P. T. Reddy Partha Pratim Deb Piraji Sagara Prabhakar Barwe R. B. Bhaskaran Rabin Mondal Radha Charan Bagchi Ramendranath Rekha Rodwittiya Roychaudhuri S S. K. Bakre Sadequain Sakti Burman Sanat Kar Shanti Dave Shyamal Dutta Ray Somnath Hore Subba Ghosh V. A. Mali V. Nageshkar Ved Nayar Abani Sen Paritosh Sen Sunil Madhav Sen Sushil Chandra Sen Nataraj Sharma Shuvaprasanna Muni Singh Paramjeet Singh Paramjit Singh S. G. Thakar Singh Sobha Singh Satish Sinha F. N. Souza K. G. Subramanyan Anupam Sud L. N. Taskar Vasudha Thozhur

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