‘Chakki’ by M.F. Husain
A group exhibition featuring some rarely seen works by the masters is set to narrate stories of compelling collaborations that led to the creations of unforgettable artworks. Titled ‘Celebration’, this exhibition is the sixth edition of Kumar Gallery’s annual show featuring works by Indian modern masters.
Sunit Kumar, director of the gallery and curator of the show says, “We are emphasising on modern masters whose aesthetic merit is not only publicly acknowledged but are also the most academically sound artists of all times. The previous editions always included aspiring younger artists but this time, we are focusing only on veteran painters. The youngest in the show is Paresh Maity who is now an established modern artist.”
The show includes works by M.F. Husain, H.S. Raza and F.N. Souza. The earliest work in the show is a 1938 oil on canvas by Ram Kinkar Baij titled ‘Toilet’ and a late 1940s Jamini Roy depicting the finesse of his folk-based lines in a tempera work titled ‘Man with Hookah’. Other key highlights of the show are a 1996 Rameshwar Broota work called ‘Scripted in Time’. The work showcases how Broota creates sensual volumes and expressive textures highlighting sharp details in the successive series. Apart from these there is a 1984 acrylic on canvas titled ‘Radha in Vrindavan’ by K.S. Kulkarni and a striking work titled ‘The Foreman’ from 1961 by Souza.
The show also exhibits M.F. Husian’s quintessential humour featuring a scribbled line by the artist on an exhibition catalogue at Kumar Gallery which reads ‘Am I the relic of British Empire ’ Sunit states, “He wrote this in the margin of a picture of his own work — a flamboyant self-portrait in full regalia juxtaposed with images of Mother Teresa, Lord Ganesha and polo players — that was titled ‘Relics of the Empire’. This oil on canvas now once again finds place in a group show.”
He adds, “The show features a self-portrait of Husain titled ‘Maqbul’, 1969 on view almost after 20 years. The reason behind the painting being shown after a gap is because it is a part of a private collection and a coveted one so it had to be shown during the right time.”
Sharing some of interesting stories behind the work and the thought process of the artist, Sunit says, “There is a painting by F.N. Souza titled ‘Christ Tormented’, created in 1958. We had shown this work as a part of the show called ‘Six Masters’ in 1997 and the work was also a part of the book which was then published. When Souza saw this book on one of his visits in 1999, he wrote next to the picture of his work in the book, ‘Millennium Passing And Passing of the Millennium’. Remember, 1999 was the momentous year as the century was changing. That was a special moment indeed.”
In correlation with the exhibition, the gallery is also launching a comprehensive book featuring archival works of the early shows of modern masters held in the 1950’s and 60’s accompanied by essays by art critic Keshav Malik. Sunit avers, “The book serves as both a visual documentation of historical importance as well as reflects on the evolution and growth of modern Indian art.”
