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The term ‘abstract’ has been loosely used, more so in the Indian context, where we have only a vague notion of what it implies. Even the slightest distortion in art is popularly referred to as abstraction. And while distortion ultimately results in abstraction, the two are at opposing ends of the visual pole as far as understanding the genre goes. Over several years, viewers have been guided almost by a gut instinct of what constitutes abstract art. And though one concedes that rigid compartments to demarcate genres are neither practical, nor desirable, some understanding of what constitutes abstract art is essential. A. M. Davierwalla Akbar Padamsee Ambadas Amitava Amrut Patel Asit Kumar Haldar Avinash Chandra Baburao Sadwelkar Benode Behari Mukherjee Bikash Bhattacharjee Bimal Dasgupta Biren De Bishamber Khanna Biswanath Mukerji Devayani Krishna Devraj Dakoji Dhanraj Bhagat Dharamnarayan Dasgupta F. N. Souza G. R. Santosh Ganesh Haloi H. A. Gade Hemanta Misra Himmat Shah J. Swaminathan Jeram Patel Jyoti Bhatt K. C. S. Paniker K. G. Subramanyan K. S. Kulkarni Krishna Reddy L. Munuswamy Laxman Pai Laxman Shrestha M. F. Husain Nasreen Mohamedi P.Khemraj P.T.Reddy Partha Pratim Deb Piloo Pochkhanawala Prabhakar Barwe Prabhakar Kolte Prokash Karmakar R. M. Palaniappan R. N. Pasricha Rabin Mondal Raghav Kaneria Ram Kumar S. G. Vasudev S. H. Raza S. K. Bakre S. R. Bhushan Sanat Kar Sankho Choudhuri Satish Gujral Shanti Dave Shobha Broota Sohan Qadri Somnath Hore Sunil Das Sunil Madhav Sen Tapan Ghosh V. S. Gaitonde V. Viswanadhan Vivan Sundaram Zarina Hashmi

What is the role of collectors and collections or archives in the world of art today? Does it simply allude to practices of producing a consumable past today or does it also aspire to question the ways in which history has been shaped by powerful interventions in the form of artworks, performances and installations?  In this series of conversations, we wanted to explore the idea of collecting recent or contemporary art—and how it inevitably takes us back to the moderns who influenced such practices heavily. 

The 1960s was a period of immense change around the world, and it had deep ramifications on India’s socio-political scenario. The country had left behind the jubilation of Independence and was feeling the pinch of a nation grappling with the issues of development that impacted society and environment. A war with China in 1962 and Pakistan in 1965 had far-reaching implications on the national psyche— the first of shame, the latter of pride. Crippling shortages and unemployment were impacting life, even as the country’s success with the Green Revolution was directed at self-sufficiency. Migration from the villages to urban centres was increasing. Disparities—economic, gender or class—provided fertile ground for the alienation of the other. The more anglicised among the youth found themselves being drawn into the vortex of a global hippie movement. A. A. RAIBA AMBADAS ANUPAM SUD AVINASH CHANDRA BIKASH BHATTACHARJEE BIMAL DASGUPTA DHANRAJ BHAGAT F. N. SOUZA G. R. SANTOSH HIMMAT SHAH J. SULTAN ALI J. SWAMINATHAN JAMINI ROY JERAM PATEL JOGEN CHOWDHURY JYOTI BHATT K. G. SUBRAMANYAN K. LAXMA GOUD KRISHEN KHANNA LAXMAN PAI M. F. HUSAIN MADHVI PAREKH P. T. REDDY PARITOSH SEN PRABHAKAR BARWE PRODOSH DASGUPTA PROKASH KARMAKAR RABIN MONDAL RAM KUMAR RAMESHWAR BROOTA S. H. RAZA S. K. BAKRE SAKTI BURMAN SATISH GUJRAL SHANTI DAVE SOHAN QADRI SOMNATH HORE SUNIL DAS ZARINA HASHMI

Calcutta, flourishing with commerce and maritime trade during the nineteenth century, was regarded as the ‘second city’ of the British Empire. People thronged there in large numbers to make a livelihood, or in holy pilgrimage, seeking blessings at the Kali temple at Kalighat that had been re-built in 1809. Annada Prasad Bagchi Bamapada Banerjee B. C. Law C. W. Lawrie Kshetradas Chitrakar Panchanan Karmakar Madhav Chandra Das Ramadhan Swarnakar Ganganarayan Ghosh Nritya Lal Datta Press Kristohurry Das Chorebagan Art Studio Kansaripara Art Studio Calcutta Jubilee Art Studio Bat-tala

Radha is painted as a queen in this Early Bengal oil painting, surrounded by her fellow Gopis (cowherds and companions) and Krishna—her divine consort and an incarnation of one of the Hindu trinity—dressed as a sentinel. She sits on her royal throne amid a forest landscape, perhaps recalling her identification as Vrindavaneshwari (goddess of Vrindavan). Going by the small but remarkable details of the jewellery, we can guess that it is the work of an artist trained in the miniature tradition. But does the painting hide other possible secrets?

The contribution of the first renaissance capital of the country—Bengal—to Indian art and its development is longstanding, enormous and continued. As one of the largest repositories of Bengal art of the past two centuries, DAG is extremely pleased to announce its major exhibition. 19th Century Popular Paintings 19th Century Popular Prints Abani Sen Abanindranath Tagore Ajit Gupta Amalnath Chakladhar Amitabha Banerji Annada Prasad Bagchi Arun Bose Asit Haldar Atul Bose B C Law B. C. Sanyal Bampada Bandhopadhay Benjamin Hudson Benode Behari Mukherjee Bijan Choudhary Bikash Bhattacharjee Bipin Behari Goswami Biren De Bireswar Sen Biswanath Mukerji Chintamoni Kar Chittaprosad D. P. Roy Chowdhury Das Sunil Bimal Dasgupta Dharamnarayan Dasgupta Dhiraj Chowdhury Dhirendra Deb Burman Dipen Bose Early Bengal Oil Artists Gaganendranath Tagore Ganesh Haloi Ganesh Pyne Gobardhan Ash Gopal Ghoshe Gopal Sanyal Haren Das Hemanta Misra Hemendranath Majumdar Heramba Kumar Ganguly Hirachand Dugar Hiranmoy Roychaudhuri Indra Dugar Isha Mahammad J. P. Gangooly Jamini Roy Jogen Chowdhury Jogesh Chander Seal K. G. Subramanyan Kalighat Patuas Kalikinkar Ghosh Dastidar Kalipada Ghoshal Kartick Chandra Pyne Khagen Roy Kishory Roy Kshitindranath Majumdar Lalit Mohan Sen Lalu Prasad Shaw M. A. R. Chughtai Maniklal Banerjee Manishi Dey Meera Mukherjee Mukul Dey Nabin Chandra Ghosh Nandalal Bose Nikhil Biswas Nirode Majumdar Olinto Ghilardi Paritosh Sen Partha Pratim Deb Prahlad Karmakar Prankrishna Pal Prodosh Das Gupta Prokash Karmakar Prosanto Roy Rabin Mondal Rabindranath Tagore Radhacharan Bagchi Ramananda Bandhopadhyay Ramendranath Chakravorty Ramgopal Vijaivargiya Ramkinkar Baij Ranada Charan Ukil – Ranada Prasad Gupta Rathin Maitra Sailendranath Dey Sailoz Mukherjea Sakti Burman Samarendranath Gupta Sanat Kar Sankho Chaudhuri Sarada Chandra Ukil Sarbari Roy Chowdhury Satish Chandra Sinha Shuvaprasanna Shyamal Dutta Ray Somnath Hore Sudhir Ranjan Khastgir Suhas Roy Sunayani Devi Sunil Madhav Sen Surendranath Ganguly Surendranath Kar Sushil Chandra Sen Zainul Abedin

Painted in 2003 by Rameshwar Broota and titled A Child, the Youth, now Man, is bisected horizontally by a hyper-realistic finger, which partially covers a comparatively hazy vertical male torso. The evocative cruciform structure of this composition, possibly alluding to ideas of masculinity, corruption and persecution, also aides the artist in highlighting human vulnerability. There is no face visible here, only an unprotected body.

What is the role of collectors and collections or archives in the world of art today? Does it simply allude to practices of producing a consumable past today or does it also aspire to question the ways in which history has been shaped by powerful interventions in the form of artworks, performances and installations?  In this series of conversations, we wanted to explore the idea of collecting recent or contemporary art—and how it inevitably takes us back to the moderns who influenced such practices heavily. 

How did the idea of Indian art come to be constructed over the last century and more? The painstaking work of collectors and curators went a long way towards establishing the history of art in India. In this article we highlight some of the most significant collectors of art from South Asia over the course of the twentieth century. Usually starting as personal collections, most of them would eventually donate their works to museums in India or abroad, allowing these rare works to be seen regularly by new generations of art enthusiasts across the world. Their collections, curated exhibitions and publications fashioned the canons of Indian modern and pre-modern art