pressbook

G AME
OF
GOD S
G AME
OF
LOVE
Alexis Renard Paris
exhibiting at :
—
TAMBARAN GALLERY
5 East 82nd Street
New York 10028
—
10th - 19th March 2016
Graphic design : stéréo buro
EPICS
in INDIAN
and PERSIAN
ART
C a t a l o g u e
a v a i l a b l e
u p o n
r e q u e s t
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PRESSBOOK((
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(New(catalogue(and(exhibition(
GAME OF GODS - GAME OF LOVE
Epics in Indian and Persian Art
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during(ASIA(WEEK(NEW(YORK(
From(10th(to(19th(March(2016(
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at(Tambaran(Gallery(
5(East(82nd(Street(
New(York(New(York(10028(
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In!today’s!world!the!modern!epics!surround!us:!all!the!recent!series,!movies!and!books!like!
Game( of( Throne,! Star( Wars! or! Lord( of( the( Rings! are! part! of! our! contemporary! occidental!
culture.!
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This! selection! of! paintings! and! sculptures! is! for! me! the! opportunity! to! link! those!
contemporary! references! to! ancient! epics! from! the! Indian! and! Persian! world! and! to! show!
how! they! are! still! alive,! full! of! heroic! labors,! wild! fights! against! demons,! brave! heroes! and!
gods.! Their! reading! is! breath?taking! as! well! as! the! paintings! and! sculptures! produced! to!
illustrate!them.!
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Most! of! the! pieces! of! this! new! exhibition! are! illustrations! from! famous! Indian! and! Persian!
epic!poems!including:!
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An!important!set!of!five!Mahabharata!paintings!from!Kangra!from!the!painter!Purkhu!or!his!
followers,!!
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Safavid! period! paintings! from! the! Persian! book! of! Kings! ?! Shahnameh,! including! a! 16th!
century!Shiraz!page!depicting!the!fight!between!Esfandyar!and!the!dragon,!
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A!rare!and!early!Indian!Chola!period!bronze!of!Sita!with!an!unusual!headdress,!charming!and!
powerful!depiction!of!the!beautiful!Sita!from!the!Ramayana,!
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As! well! as! a! powerful! and! extremely! fine! South! Indian! bronze! depicting! Shiva( Nataraja!
dating!from!the!16th!century.!
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The!many!books!from!the!Indian!tradition!such!as!the!Ramayana!and!the!Mahabharata!or!
the! amazing! stories! from! the! Persian! world! are! pursuing! the! same! goal! as! the! modern!
stories!in!entertaining!us!as!well!as!bringing!examples!of!courage!and!wisdom.!!
Taking! us! away! from! our! everyday! concerns! the! ancient! epics! have! in! the! South! Asian!
tradition!a!strong!meaning!as!in!India!where!they!are!the!basis!of!religion!involving!many!of!
the!gods!and!being!among!the!oldest!epic!poetic!texts!known.!
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It! is! also! quite! tempting! to! see! some! relation! in! the! iconography! of! modern! epics! and! the!
influence! of! ancient! iconography! of! South! Asia,! even! if! there! is! no! link! except! in! the!
Occidental!fascination!for!those!stories!and!characters!intriguing!to!the!non?Indian!eye.!!
The! visual! relation! with! an! image! like! the! asavari( ragini! page! depicting! the! female! figure!
seated!on!rocks!and!surrounded!by!snakes!is!for!example!recalling!the!episode!from!Game(of(
Thrones!with!the!mother!of!dragons!surviving!from!the!ordeal!fire!with!her!dragons.!
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This! exhibition! is! an! opportunity! to! bring! a! new! perspective! on! those! colorful! vibrant! and!
lively!stories.!I!hope!you!enjoy!this!epic!journey!as!much!as!I!do!when!looking!at!a!painting!or!
a!bronze!or!reading!one!of!those!stories.!
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Alexis!Renard!
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Dhraupadi's!wedding!?!Scene!from!the!Mahabharata!
Circle!of!Purkhu!
Pigments!and!gold!on!paper!
India,!1810!?!1820!!
Height!30!Width!42!cm!
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Esfandyar!fighting!the!dragon!–!Page!from!a!Shahnameh!
Ink,!pigments!and!gold!on!paper!
Iran,!Qazvin!or!Shiraz,!circa!1560?1570,!Safavid!Period!
Height!Miniature:!17,5;!Page:!21;!Margins:!31!cm!
Width!Miniature:!17;!Page:!11;!Margins:!20!cm!
Provenance:!formerly!in!the!M.!F.!collection,!Joseph!Soustiel!Art!Musulman,!expertise!from!
Jean!Soustiel!/!Marie?Christine!David!dated!10/12/1997!
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Indian!sculpture!depicting!Sita!
Bronze!
South!India,!11th!century!
Height!42,8!cm!
Provenance:!Galerie!Marco!Polo,!1980's,!Collection!Pierre!Jourdan!Barry!
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Shiva!Lord!of!the!Dance!?!Shiva(Nataraja!
Bronze!
India,!16th!century!!
Height!25,7!Width!18!Depth!9!cm!
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Asavari(ragini(
Pigments!and!gold!on!paper!
India,!Murshidabad,!Late!18th!century,!Mughal!Period!
Height:!29!Width:!22,2!cm!
Provenance:!formerly!in!the!Kelekian!Collection!New!York,!Joseph!Soustiel!Paris.!The!back!of!the!old!frame!
bearing!a!label!"Art!Musulman!?!Joseph!Soustiel"!
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Since! the! gallery! opening! in! 1999,! Alexis! Renard! has! been! building! bridges! between!
European! and! Oriental! culture,! linking! the! ancient! art! to! the! modern! world,! and! trying! to!
enlighten! antiques! from! a! modern! point! of! view,! showing! how! much! we! can! learn! from!
them,!design!wise!and!in!many!other!ways.!
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Alexis!Renard!is!a!specialized!dealer!and!expert!in!the!field!of!Islamic!and!Indian!Art!and!is!
promoting!a!small!group!of!Pakistani!contemporary!artists.!
Established! since!1999! on! Saint?Louis! Island! in! the! heart! of! Paris,! the! gallery!offers!
valuations,! brokerage! operations! and! research! of! objects! for! museums! and! private!
collectors,!as!well!as!buying!and!selling.!
Works!of!arts!purchased!by!the!gallery!are!now!housed!in!major!museums!and!institutions!
worldwide:!Musée!du!Louvre,!Musée!du!Quai!Branly,!Musée!des!Beaux?Arts!de!Lyon,!Musée!
Ariana! Genève,! the! David! Collection,! the! Metropolitan! Museum! of! Art,! Institut! du! Monde!
Arabe,!Sadberk!Hanim!Müzesi…!
Alexis!Renard!is!an!Expert!Member!of!the!Chambre!Nationale!des!Experts!Spécialisés!(CNES)!
and!a!Member!of!the!Syndicat!National!des!Antiquaires!(SNA).!
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CONTACT&
Galerie&Alexis&Renard&
5&rue&des&deux&ponts&
75004&Paris&
FRANCE&
Assistant:&Gabrielle&LESAGE&
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[email protected]&
www.alexisrenard.com&