Image - Nitanjali

Banglar Sur
Tunes of Bengal
April - May 2012
C-66 Anand Niketan, New Delhi 110 021
Tel. 91.11.46054079 [email protected]
www.nitanjaliartgallery.com
We are delighted to bring to you Banglar Sur: Tunes of Bengal, showcasing the essence
of Bengal!
Aditya Basak | Amiya Bhattacharya | Ashoke Mullick
Atanu Bhattacharya | Bijon Choudhury | Chandra Bhattacharya
Ganesh Haloi | Ganesh Pyne | Jayasri Burman
Jogen Choudhury | Lalu Prasad Shaw | Maya Burman
Monoj Mitra | Nandan Purkayastha | Nilanjan Das
Niren Sen gupta | Paresh Maity | Partha Bhattacharjee
Partha Shaw | Prakash Karmarkar | Prasenjit Sengupta
Sakti Burman | Sanjay Bhattacharya | Satadru Sovan Banduri
Shipra Bhattacharya | Shubra Das | Shuvaprasanna
Sourav Bhattacharya | Suhas Roy | Sunil Das
With Santiniketan as one of the world’s renowned art colleges, it has always been our
wish to showcase what we have perceived as the sur of Bengal. Varying in ages, styles,
genres and medium, this show is a culmination of a carefully selected spectrum of artists
from Bengal. The inherent talent of this region has been an inspiration for many to bring
together a group show. Nitanjali in all its humility has also attempted to put together the
idea differently, that has been in inception since a year now.
Nitanjali Art Gallery has been actively engaged in presenting and supporting Indian art
through a series of solo and group exhibitions of seminal and cutting-edge art in varied
modes and media from across India, besides other initiatives such as artist residencies.
We have taken Indian art beyond Delhi to other Indian metros, as well as to important
international forums including Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Singapore, Dubai, London
and Malaysia.
Our deep appreciation to the artist, Partha Bhattacharjee, who has been instrumental
in coordinating the show from Kolkata. Our sincere thanks to our curator, Elizabeth
Rogers, without whom this project would not have been possible. Last but not the least,
our congratulation to the entire Nitanjali Team for putting together yet another exciting
project!
Anjali and Nitin Bhalla
Nitanjali Art Gallery
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Many Woven Garlands
A
rt is not, as the metaphysicians say, the manifestation of some mysterious
idea of beauty or God. It is not, as the aesthetical physiologists say, a game in
which man lets off his excess of stored-up energy; it is not the expression of man’s
emotions by external signs. Consider the spontaneity of colours in nature, the
myriad shapes and forms. Culture, similarly language, to the Bengali community is
as valuable as air and water to living beings. If we follow the history of Bengal from
the early years of the Christian era up to the 20th century, we find a confluence of
religious ideologies and social practices, co-existence of old and the new, foreign
and the indigenous, and most importantly, rejection of orthodoxy – inherent in
its tradition. It was perhaps due to this liberal background that Bengal responded
to the West spontaneously. In colonial India, it was Bengal which experienced the
Renaissance.
In 2012, a series of significant exhibitions of the Bengal School of Art (in particular,
the long-awaited retrospective of the artist Ramkinkar Vaij at the National Gallery
of Modern Art in New Delhi) once again herald this indomitable creative spirit.
Attesting that Bengal continues to produce some of the best artists of modern
India, in the, Archana Khare Ghose recently wrote, “For many art lovers, it is back
to the old school.” (Times of India, New Delhi, 12 February 2012).
Since time immemorial, the culmination of these varied cultures has given birth to
a unique cultural nexus which has made significant contributions to all epochs of
society. Its modus operandi has been defined as a “to be” rather than a “to do”
culture. This to be means to remain a part of nature, intrinsically interwoven with
the surroundings. A driving metaphor that of paglami, reflects many states of being.
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Its social construction fosters reasons for celebration. These represent a sense of
belonging, joy, and loss of boundaries as an individual, thereby fostering creativity
from which come poetry, music, dance and art. (For numerous notes and musings, read Sir
Rabindranath Tagore, My Reminiscences. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1917)
In July 1930 in Berlin, Sir Rabindranath Tagore and Albert Einstein met for a
conversation which was recorded. Cited from the excerpts on expression in the
East and the West, herewith follows;
TAGORE:
There is in human affairs an element of elasticity also, some freedom within a small range which is
for the expression of our personality. It is like the musical system in India, which is not so rigidly
fixed as western music. Our composers give a certain definite outline, a system of melody and
rhythmic arrangement, and within a certain limit the player can improvise upon it. He must be
one with the law of that particular melody, and then he can give spontaneous expression to his
musical feeling within the prescribed regulation… but we expect from the player his own skill in the
creation of variations of melodic flourish and ornamentation. In creation we follow the central law
of existence, but if we do not cut ourselves adrift from it, we can have sufficient freedom within the
limits of our personality for the fullest self-expression.
EINSTEIN:
That is possible only when there is a strong artistic tradition in music to guide the people’s mind.
In Europe, music has come too far away from popular art and popular feeling and has become
something like a secret art with conventions and traditions of its own.
(Rabindranath Tagore: In Conversation with Albert Einstein excerpted from A Tagore Reader, edited by
Amiya Chakravarty, originally published in The Religion of Man. George, Allen & Unwin, Ltd., London,
Appendix II, pp. 222-225)
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Beyond a geographical definition, either of a regional style or a collective character,
the vagaries of the external influences blend with the internal progressions. Such
metaphors for the ebullient embrace of cultural and creative expression through
distinct blends of the past and the present resound in the work of Bengali
artists. Through their personal and shared lexicons, their evolved palettes and
pictorial definitions, such spirit remains, whether folk art inspirations, European
delineations, or abstract and modernist visions. Uninhibited by the abstracting and
delimiting powers of the paradigms, the meta-paradigm of philosophy of creativity moves,
penetrates, and opens throughout the range and depth of experience everywhere. (David
The artists
in this exhibition span many generations, mediums, reside in myriad loci, and
have followed different pathways. Some do directly depict their reminiscences and
visions of life in Bengal; while others embrace more abstract, diffuse elements.
Lee Miller, The Philosophy of Creativity, New York: Peter Lang Publishing Co., 1990, p.15)
From such overflowing background to borrow from, these artists have decided to
create a style of their own and add to the heritage she/he learnt; thereby rendering
shape to a personal vocabulary of artistic expression, which is characteristically Indian
and at the same time is loaded with modernity. Yet, fundamentally they are each an
artist who choose which implement to use, which colour to apply, material on which
to wrought their visions, to sing their tunes, the diverse strains of Banglar Sur.
Quite a romanticised view (albeit poetic) of these tunes is expressed as –
Kolkata is a word. It is a name, full of diversity, like the rainbow.
Kolkata is a poem. A song. Kolkata is a short story.
And a large novel. And a piece of history.
Many garlands can be woven from its gifts.
(Bandyopadhya, October 2007)
Elizabeth Rogers
Graduate of Harvard University (B.A.), Institut d’Etudes Politiques (C.E.P.) and Institut des Civilisations et Langues
Orientales (Matrise, Paris), Beijing and Fudan Universities (P.R.C.), and Yale University (M.A. and M.F.A.). She has curated
and researched exhibitions of Asian art in museums such as the Musee Guimet (Paris), the Musees Royaux (Brussels), the
Groningen Museum (Netherlands), the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford), the Sackler Museums (Harvard and Beijing), the
Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg), and the Gotoh and Suntory Museums (Japan). She was the Assistant Director of the
Museum at Japan Society (New York), the Director of the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art (New York), a consultant
to the World Monuments Fund; a consultant to the Museum at Tibet House (New Delhi); and a consultant to the Centre
for Trans-Himlayan Buddhism, Ashoka Mission (New Delhi).
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Aditya Basak
Born in Kolkata, Basak graduated from the Government. College of Art & Craft, in 1977. At present he is an artist and interior designer.
His medium is water-proof ink, earth colour and crayon on Nepalese hand made paper. Numerous awards and recognitions including
the College Scholarship; National Award; State Award, West Bengal; Senior Fellowship from the Ministry of Human Resources and
Development; and the Taj Gaurav award. Participated in numerous group shows and art camps overseas in London, New York, Hong Kong,
Germany, Bangladesh and elsewhere. Thirteen group shows in Kolkata, Bombay, and New Delhi, including the National Exhibition; AFA;
Birla Academy; Eastern India Exhibition, The Bombay Art Society Centenary; and Art Mosaic, Calcutta Through The Eyes of Painters.
Golden Time I
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tempera and mixed media on canvas 30 x 40 inches 2012
Golden Time II
tempera and mixed media on canvas 30 x 40 inches 2012
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Amiya Bhattacharya
Born in 1949, Amiya Bhattacharya studied at the Indian College of Arts and Draftsmanship in Kolkata. Thereafter, he joined the Ananda
Bazar Petrika Group of Publications, where today he is the Senior Art Director. Amongst many other professional forays, he designs art
publications for the Centre of International Modern Art in Kolkata and also covers for Penguin Books India. Bikash Bhattacharjee, the late
eminent senior Bengali artist, has been a principal influence for his work. He has exhibited extensively across India and overseas including at
the Taj Art Gallery and Jehangir Gallery in Mumbai; and the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre. Participated in Nitanjali’s Indian Art Unbound
I in London (2004); Indian Art Unbound II, Grand Hyatt Dubai, UAE (2005); Indian Art Unbound Revisited, Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi
(2005); Euphonic Palettes, Mumbai (2006); Euphonic Palettes, at the Alliance Francaise, New Delhi (2006); Dialogue, Nitanjali and
Ejaz Art Galleries, Lahore (2006); Euphonic Palettes-Dubai (2006); Uninterrupted Journeys-Dubai (2007); and Uninterrupted Journeys,
Mumbai (2007); Resplendent Reveries, Dubai (2007); Rhythms of Illumination, Dubai (2007); Mellifluous Metaphors, with the Wei-Ling
Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; A Wonderful World, Four Steps Benefit (2009); and Looking Back to Look Forward (2011) in Delhi. His
works are in many prominent collections across the country and abroad. He lives and works in Kolkata.
Untitled
Untold Story
10
mixed media on canvas 46 x 46 inches 2009
mixed media on canvas 40 x 32 inches
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Ashoke Mullick
Born in 1957 in Kolkata. Mullick Graduated with first class in fine arts from the Government College of Arts & Crafts in 1981. Awarded
a Cultural Scholarship by Department of Culture, Government of India, 1981-82. Solo exhibitions include: Academy of Fine Arts,
Calcutta,1986; Pundole Art Gallery, Bombay, 1989, and 1994; Display Gallery, New Delhi (with Pundole Art Gallery), 1991; Galerie
’88, Calcutta,1992,1993, 2001; Park Hotel, Calcutta,1994; The Gallery, Madras, 1995; Crimson, Bangalore, 1996; Art Today, New
Delhi, 1997; Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, 1998 and 2002; Maximasia, Jakarta, Indonesia, 2006; Gallery Nvya, New Delhi, 2007; and
Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata, 2010. Participated in many group shows in Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi, such as Selected Works and an
All India Show at CIMA Gallery, Kolkata, 2005; Roots in Hue, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, 2005; Evamor, The Company Theatre at
Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai, 2005; Figurative Works, Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata, 2007; Unayan, Nvya Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2006; and
Digressing Domains, Nitanjali Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2006. Shown in exhibitions overseas, and attended art camps and workshops. Works
in the selected collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Roopankar Museum of Fine Arts, Bhopal; the Glenbarra Art
Museum; Japan Indian Hotels Ltd (Taj Group of Hotels, at Bombay, Calcutta & Colombo); M.F. Husain; Netherlands Ambassador, New
Delhi; British Deputy High Commissioner, Calcutta; Pundole Art Gallery, Bombay; Sanskriti Art Gallery, Calcutta; The Guild Art Gallery,
Mumbai; India International Art Centre, Calcutta; Hong Kong Ministry of External Affairs; Times of India Group, New Delhi; and the Ahuja
Museum of Art, Kolkata.
Merry Go Round
A Tour in Rajasthan
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acrylic on canvas 52 x 42 inches 2012
acrylic on canvas 36 x 36 inches 2012
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Atanu Bhattacharya
Born in Kolkata. Received a First Class in BVA (Printmaking, 1990) and in MVA (Printmaking, 1992) from Rabindra Bharati University in
Kolkata. Awards from the Department of Culture and Rabindra Bharati Faculty of Visual Arts. Presently he is a working artist at Lalit Kala
Kendra, and a guest lecturer in the Graphics Department of Rabindra Bharati University. Solo exhibition with the Society of Contemporary
Artists Gallery, Kolkata in 2008. Participated in group exhibitions including: Prints, Exchange-Brownson Art Gallery, New York, U.S.A.,
2009; Exhibition of Bhavan International Biennale of Print Art, 2001; 44th and 42nd National Exhibition of Art, New Delhi, 2001, 2000;
Eastern Region Art Exhibition organized by Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendra, Kolkata and CIMA Gallery, Kolkata, 2002; All India Print show,
2000; Cymroza Art Gallery, Kolkata, New Delhi, Chennai & Mumbai; Art of Bengal ( 1850–1999 ), PRABHA Phase III, Biswa Banga
Sammelan Millennium Festival, Kolkata 2000; Two Man show, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, 1992, 94, 96, 07; India Habitat Centre,
New Delhi 2000; Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi 1995, 98; Birla Academy, Kolkata, 2002; All India Art Exhibition, Bombay Art Society,
Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, 1995, 96; sculptures by Society of Contemporary Artists at Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata, 2009; 50th Annual
Exhibition of Society of Contemporary Artists at Birla Academy, Kolkata, 2009; Synchrome-Gallery Akar Prakar, Kolkata 2007; Bengal Art,
Mahua Art Gallery, Bangalore 2006; Uttarayan, Bayer ABS Ltd Gallery, Baroda 2005; and 11th International Exhibition of small graphic
forms, Poland-LODZ. Awards : Junior Fellowship in Visual Art from Human Resource & Development, Department of Culture, Government
of India (1998 – 2000); and Rabindra Bharati VI. Collections : National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; and Lalit Kala Akademi, New
Delhi. Private collections in Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, USA, Germany, and Poland.
Blue Memories
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watercolour on paper 34 x 26 inches 2010
Brown Memories
watercolour on paper 34 x 26 inches 2011
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Bijon Choudhury
Education from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata, West Bengal (1945-49), and the Government Institute of Arts,
Dhaka, Bangladesh (1953). Awards received include: Abanindra Puroshkar, Government of West Bengal, Kolkata (1995); Rabindra Bharati
University, Kolkata (1978); Documentary film `Bijan`, by Film Australia, Film Division, Government of Australia, shown at the British
Council, Kolkata (1976), and at the World Art Congress, Adelaide (1979); and Academy of Fine Arts Award, Kolkata (1963). Participated
in the 3rd Triennale, New Delhi (1975). Selected Solo Exhibitions at Art Heritage, New Delhi (1998, 1992); Galerie 88, Kolkata (1989);
Paintings, Drawings and Graphics, British Council, Kolkata (1985); Miniature Exposition, Paris (1982); Retrospective, Alliance Francaise,
Kolkata (1977); Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata (1974); Arts and Prints Gallery, Kolkata (1963, 1962); and Dhaka, Bangladesh
(1958). Selected Group Exhibitions: A Wonderful World, Four Steps with Nitanjali Art Gallery, New Delhi (2009); Uninterrupted Journeys
– Dubai, Nitanjali Art Gallery, Dubai, UAE (2007); Bengal Art Today, Galerie 88, Mumbai (1991, 1988); Artists from Bengal, Bangalore
(1991); Calcutta 300, Government of West Bengal, Kolkata (1990); Calcutta Through The Eyes of Painters, Birla Academy of Art and
Culture, Kolkata (1990); Trends in Bengal, Commonwealth Institute, London (1986); Indian Artists, Goethe Institute, Munich (1984);
Show of Calcutta 8, New Delhi (1982); Four Indian Artists, Festival of India, Stockholm, Sweden (1982); Society of Contemporary Artists,
Kolkata; Bijon Choudhury, Paritosh Sen, Mohim Rudra, Prabas Sen and Sarbari Roy Chowdhury, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata
(1968); Show in Honor of Giacometti at Art in Industry House, Kolkata (1966); Eight Painters from Calcutta, All India Fine Arts and Crafts
Society (AIFACS), New Delhi (1964); and Bangla Sanskriti Sammelan, Kolkata and Mumbai (1960). In 2012 he passed away at the age
of 82 years.
Untitled
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mixed media on canvas 36 x 48 inches 1997
Untitled
watercolour on paper 36 x 30 inches 1997
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Chandra Bhattacharya
Born in Patuli, West Bengal. Graduate of the Indian College of Art and Draughtsmanship with a 1st Class honours. Art appreciation
course from the Calcutta University. Artist with Lalit Kala Akademi (1987 to 1988). Awarded gold medal, Rabindra Bharati University for
excellence in fine arts (1986). Solo Exhibitions: Center Art Gallery, Calcutta (1994, 1995, and 1997); Art Heritage, Delhi (1997); Crimson
Bangalore and Gallery Apparao, Chennai (1998, 2000, 2001); Shridharani Art Gallery, New Delhi (2000); and Jehangir Art Gallery,
Mumbai organized by Gallery Beyond (2005). Selected group exhibitions: Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta (1991, 1993, 1994); Indo –
French Show, Alliance Française, Calcutta (1992); Art Heritage New Delhi (1994); Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay (1994, 1999); Center Art
Gallery, Calcutta (1995, 1996); Gallerie 88, Calcutta (1996); Son et Lumiere, Mumbai (1999); Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad (1999);
Gaaja Gallery Singapore(1999); Birla Academy of Art & Culture Kolkata (1999, 2001, 2002) and Mumbai (1999), Crimson Bangalore
and Apparao Galleries in New York and Singapore (1999); Vizag, Hyderabad (2000); Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (2000); Crimson Art
Resource, Mumbai (2000); Palette Art Gallery annual show, New Delhi (2001, 2002); Concern India (2001); Cymroza Gallery, Mumbai
(2001); The Guild, Mumbai (2001); Art World, Hong Kong (2001); The Guild, Hong Kong (2001); Saffron art show, Hong Kong (2001,
2002); Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata (2001 and 2002); Chitrakoot Gallery, Kolkata (2001); Art Today, Delhi (2001); Gallery
Apparao, Delhi and Chennai (2002); Gallery Espace, Dubai (2002); Autumn Festival of Theatre and Arts Auction by Patrick Bowring,
Singapore (2002); Surya Gallery, Hyderabad (2002); Concern India, Mumbai (2002); Taj Bengal, Kolkata (2002); Shridharani Gallery, New
Delhi (2002); Gallerie 88 annual show, Kolkata (2002); Aaj aur Kal organised by Gallery Beyond at the Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; and
A Wonderful World, Four Steps Benefit with Nitanjali Art Gallery in New Delhi (2009).
Untitled
Untitled
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acrylic on canvas 42 x 36 inches 2011
oil on canvas 30 x 36 inches 2005
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Ganesh Haloi
Haloi was born in Jamalpur, Mymensingh, now in Bangladesh in 1936. He moved to Kolkata after the Partition in 1950. The trauma of the
uprooting left its mark on his work as it did on some other painters of his generation. He graduated from the Government College of Art and
Craft in 1956. The next year he joined the Archaeological Survey of India to make copies of the Ajanta murals. After seven years involved
in the work, Haloi returned to work in Kolkata. Since 1963, he taught at the Government College of Art and Craft untill his retirement.
Since 1971, he has been a member of the Society of Contemporary Artists. Selected exhibitions include Ambadas, Haloi, Dhawan, Kolte,
Sein, Galerie Müller & Plate, Munich; An Art Sublime, Aicon Gallery, New York, 2006; Drishti / Vision - Indian Contemporary Artists,
Valentine Willie Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur, 2005; Chitrakoot Art Gallery, Calcutta 2003,2002, 1999,1998, 1997; and Ganesh Haloi:
Uncertainty in Certainty- A Journey, curated by Manjit Bawa, Societe Asiatique of Multiple Art & Artists, Gurgaon. Haloi has done a
number of commissioned mosaic murals. His stint at Ajanta led him to study Buddhism and do research on the technique of Ajanta murals.
He published a research paper on the Techniques of Ajanta Murals in the Journal of Art in Industry in 1964. The artist lives and works in
Kolkata.
Untitled
watercolour on paper 26 x 22 inches 2000
Detail
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Ganesh Pyne
Pyne was born in Kolkata in 1937. He was a student at the Government College of Arts & Craft in the city between 1955 and 1959.
Surprisingly he held his first solo exhibition as late as 1988 at The Village Gallery, New Delhi. Pyne started as a watercolourist in the Bengal
School mode. Prestigious exhibitions in India and overseas include: World Youth Festival, Prague,1968; Indian International Triennial, New
Delhi, 1968 and 1971; Paris Biennial, Paris,1970; Exhibition in aid of the Menuhin School of Music, Royal Academy of Arts, London,
1970; International Festival of Art, Cagnes-sur-Mer, 1975; Modern Indian Painting, Hirschhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.,1982;
Contemporary Indian Art, Festival of India, Royal Academy of Arts, London,1982; Indische Kunst Heute, Darmdstadt, Germany,1982
and 1986; Trends and Images, CIMA Gallery, Calcutta,1993; Tryst with Destiny - Art from Modern India, Singapore Art Museum,
Singapore,1997; and Image beyond Image, a travelling exhibition of Indian paintings from the Glenbarra Art Museum, Himeji, Japan to New
Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore and Mumbai in 1997. Published books on Pyne are Thirst of a Minstrel: The Life and Times of Ganesh Pyne by
Shiladitya Sarkar (Rupa & Co., 2004); Enchanted Space: The Private World of Ganesh Pyne by Sovon Som (Centre for International Modern
Art, 2006); and Ganesh Pyne, His Life and Times by Ella Datta (CIMA, 1998).
Detail
22
Untitled
tempera on board 14 x 10 inches 2009
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Jayasri Burman
Born in 1960 in Kolkata, she studied at the Kala Bhavan in Santiniketan, and the Visual College of Art, Kolkata. She went to Paris and
studied print-making under Monsieur Ceizerzi. Born into an aesthetically oriented family of Kolkata, she was exposed to art very early in
life. Her uncle, Shakti Burman (based in Paris) exerted a strong influence over her developmental years. Her technique therefore, became an
amalgamation of fine linearity combined with an undercurrent of free expression. In 1992, Burman’s exhibition The Baijis at the Chitrakoot
Gallery (Kolkata) earned rave reviews, and the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Mumbai, followed it up with another success titled Urban
Signals Shifting Images. Burman’s work has been exhibited frequently in India and abroad besides her exhibitions in London, Paris, Berlin
and Hong Kong. She has won several prizes for her art.
Untitled
mixed media on paper 35.5 x 44.5 inches 2000
Detail
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Jogen Choudhury
Born in 1939, Bengal, Jogen studied at the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, 1960, and Studio of Academy of Fine Arts,
Kolkata, 1960. Later he went to the Ecole Nationale Superior des Beaux- Arts, Paris, 1965-67 on a French Government Scholarship. His
most famous paintings and drawings are in ink, watercolour, pastel and has painted in oil medium as well. Group shows include Figure/
Landscape: Part Two, Aicon Gallery, London, 2010-11; and Love to Live, Palette Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2010. Selected solo exhibitions
are, A Calligraphy of Touch and Gaze, Kalakari Art Gallery at ICIA, Mumbai, 2008; Abahoman: Flowing Life, Vadehra Art Gallery, New
Delhi, 2007; Drawing and Painting with Ink and Pastel on Paper, Bose- Pacia Modern, New York, 2002; Coloured Drawing with Ink and
Pastel, Gajah Gallery, Singapore, 2001; Drawing and Painting with Ink and Pastel on Paper, Fine Art Resource, Berlin, 1999; Coloured
Drawing with Ink and Pastel, Foundation for Indian artists, Amsterdam, 1998; and Oil Paintings, Galerie du Haut Pave, Paris, 1963.
The artist was a Jury Member at the Singapore Biennale Exhibition of Art Singapore, 2003. He was awarded with the Kalidas Sanman,
Government of Madhya Pradesh, 2001; the 2nd Biennale of Havana, Cuba, 1986; and the Prix Le France de la Jeune Peinture, Paris,
1966. He lives and works in Santiniketan.
Untitled
ink on paper 10.5 x 14 inches 2003
Detail
26
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Lalu Prasad Shaw
Born in Bengal in 1937, Lalu Prasad Shaw completed his education in Fine Arts at the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Kolkata.
Though he would describe himself as a painter, Shaw took a liking to printmaking when he was 32 years old. He mastered the genre of
graphic arts shortly since he had worked with intaglios and lithographs earlier, making a name for himself as a printmaker comparable to the
great reputation that he already had as a painter. Shaw has exhibited extensively in India and abroad since 1956. His works have been a part
of prestigious international shows such as the second British Biennale in London,1970; two Norwegian Print Biennales in 1974 and 1978;
the seventh Paris Biennale in 1971; and the second Asian Art Biennale hosted by Bangladesh in 1984. His work is a part of the permanent
collections of various institutions like the Birla Academy in Calcutta and the Art Forum in Singapore. Lalu Prasad Shaw lives and works in
Kolkata, where his son Partha has also established himself as a young artist.
Untitled
watercolour on paper 19 x 13 inches 2006
Detail
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Maya Burman
Born in Villeneuve sur Lot, France, 1971. Currently lives and works in Paris, France. Studied 3 years of architecture in Paris. Worked with
the Centre for a Built Environment, Kolkata for the Survey of North Kolkata in 1993. Recipient of numerous awards: Prix Lucie Rivel, Taylor
Foundation (France), 2002; Award for the watercolour section, Salon de Colombes (France), 2000; and selected for the Award of the
Salon d’ Automne, Paris (France), 2000. Solo Shows include Apparao Gallery, Madras, 2005 and 2001; Gallery Ganesha, New Delhi,
2002; Art Musings, Mumbai, 2002; the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, 2002; Médiathèque du Lamentin (Martinique), 2001;
Festival du Cinema Asiatique, Vesoul (France), 2000; Art Today Gallery, New Delhi, 2000; and Theatre de Chaoué, Allonnes (France),
1998. Group shows in India, France and the U.K. From 2000, she produced illustrations for Nouvelles de l’ Inde, the newspaper of the
Indian Embassy in Paris.
Untitled
Untitled
30
mixed media on paper 10 x 10 inches 2005
mixed media on paper 10 x 10 inches 2005
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Monoj Mitra
Born in 1953 in Kolkata. Mitra graduated from Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata in 1977. He had won the Governor’s
Award in 1975 and 1976; the Academy of Fine Arts award in 1977; the 4th Government of West Bengal Exhibition award in 1988; and
Certificates of Merit from the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, (1974, 1975 and 1976). He has participated in solo and
group exhibitions in Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. His works are in the collections of the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, and the
Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan. Since 1984, he has been a Member of the Society of Contemporary Artists in Kolkata.
Puppet I
Puppet II
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acrylic on canvas 42 x 36 inches 2011
acrylic on canvas 30 x 30 inches 2011
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Nandan Purkayastha
Graduated in Fashion Designing from NIFT, Ministry of Textile from 2005-2009. In his musings on the worlds of black and white,
Purkayastha weaves a theatrical diorama of strokes and elemental characters through deployment of his Rotring pen. His subjects or actors
are “illustrative personages”. Nandan works with the contours of the body which are covered in ornately decorated drapery, obviously
influenced by his NIFT training. Their blank faces refer the viewer back to the expressions of the corpus/body, not the visage, thereby
re-connecting the cast of characters in their ritual roles in life, an ongoing celebration of life. His exhibitions to date include the Weavers
Studio, Kolkata, 2009 (group show); Weavers Studio, Kolkata, 2010 (solo show); Chinmaya Mission, Delhi, 2010 (group show); Hues of
Monochrome, Nitanjali Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2011; and Art Musings, Mumbai, 2012.
The Glass Blower
The Saint
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pen and ink on paper 30 x 48 inches 2012
pen and ink on paper 30 x 48 inches 2012
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Nilanjan Das
Commenced painting as a child under the tutelage of his renowned illustrator father Bimal Das. From his design work that encompasses
illustration, photo collage and reshaping, computer imagery, he further incorporates the mediums of oil, watercolour, pen and ink, paper
and cartoons. At present the Creative Director of Fortune Magazine in New Delhi. Formerly an illustrator with India Today, he worked in
Singapore as the Southeast Asia regional director of design for Time Magazine. Winner of numerous international awards for illustration and
design. Participated in group exhibitions including Nitanjali Art Gallery’s Uninterrupted Journeys, HSBC Premier with ITC Grand Central
Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Mumbai, 2007; Digressing Domains, curated by Sushma Bahl, with Nitanjali Art Gallery at Lalit Kala Akademi,
New Delhi, 2006; and Euphonic Palettes-Dubai, Nitanjali Art Gallery, Dubai, UAE, 2006.
Faith
Sleep
36
mixed media on canvas 44 x 65 inches 2012
mixed media on canvas 36 x 52 inches 2012
37
Niren Sen Gupta
Born in 1940 in Bengal. Niren Sen Gupta Graduated in Science from Calcutta University, and from the Government College of Art and
Crafts, Calcutta in 1965. Former Principal of the College of Art, New Delhi. In addition, he has teaching experience of over 30 years
on the graduate and post-graduate levels in various art institutions. A Founder member of ‘Gallery 26’; Member of Calcutta painters;
and Academy of Visual Media Art advisor to various Art Organisations. Curated the Millennium shows Their Story organized by VHAI
and Artists connection with Bengal organized by Dhoomimal Gallery. Solo Exhibitions include: Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi, 1967;
Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi, 1975 and 1982, 1984; Taj Art Gallery, Mumbai, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1996; Aurobindo Gallery,
Pondicherry, 1992; Gallery 42, New Delhi, 1993; Grindlays Bank - Gallery Ganesha, New Delhi, 1995; Art Forum, New Delhi, 2001;
Damyanti Gallery, New Delhi, 2002; Dhoomimal Mega Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2003; Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, 2005; and Gallery
Ganesha, New Delhi, 2008. Participating in National Exhibition, and AIFACS annual Exhibitions since 1969; shows by Calcutta painters
in Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi and Santiniketan since 1972; and shows in aid of Bangladesh in Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi in 1971.
Received major awards such as the AIFACS Award; and NBT Award - New Delhi; and the Award for Humanity Udayan Care. Works in
the Collections of Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; the College of Art, New Delhi; The Taj
Hotel Group, Mumbai; Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi; Goenka, Mumbai; Raj Bhavan, Kolkata; the Japanese Prime Minister
and with many other private collectors in India and abroad
Couple II
Ancestors V
38
oil on canvas 48 x 48 inches 2011
oil on canvas 48 x 72 inches 2011
39
Paresh Maity
Born 1965 at Tamluk, Bengal, Maity moved to Kolkata later for his Bachelor’s Degree in art from the Government College of Art and
Craft. Following this, he received his Master’s Degree from the Delhi College of Art in painting for which he was awarded gold medals. The
impressive repertoire of the first 25 years of his career has been documented in a large illustrated book published in 2005. With over 50
solo shows and many more group exhibitions in India and at international venues, including the Cleveland International Drawing Biennale,
Indian Triennale, India Art Summit and Singapore Art Fair, Paresh’s work has won him critical acclaim. His work can be seen in some of the
well known national and international collections and museums including the British Museum, London and the National Gallery of Modern
Art, New Delhi. He participated in Looking Back to Look Forward with Nitanjali Art Gallery at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat centre
in New Delhi (2011). The awards to his credit include the Royal Watercolour Society Award, the Governors Gold Medal- Kolkata; and the
AIFACS Award amongst numerous others. Paresh lives in Delhi and works from his studio in the city.
The Grace
mixed media on paper 45 x 45 inches 2011
Detail
40
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Partha Bhattacharjee
Born in Chandannagar, Hooghly, West Bengal. Graduated in Fine Arts, Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata. Special training in
modern techniques and portrait painting. Awards from the Indian Society of Oriental Art, for outstanding work in painting (1990, 1991),
and the President of India Awards, AIFACS, New Delhi (2001-2002). Solo exhibitions: Tribute to Satyajit Ray, Academy of Fine Arts,
Kolkata (1995); Indian Mythology, Durga Gallery, Mumbai (1996); Indian Mythology, Nairobi, Kenya; and Kent, U.K.(1997); Recent Work,
Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai (2001); Zen Gallery, Bangalore (2002);) Indian Art Gallery, Pune (2002); Past and Present, Academy of
Fine Arts, Kolkata (2003); Beyond the MagiK Flute, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (2006); Mysterious Interplay, Nitanjali Art Gallery in
Dubai, U.A.E. (2007); Melodic Interludes, Nitanjali at Alliance Francaise, New Delhi (2008); and A Wonderful World, Four Steps Benefit
in New Delhi (2009). Extensive participation in group exhibitions in Kolkata at the Academy of Fine Arts, Birla Academy of Arts, Chitrakoot
Gallery, Gallery 88, India Society of Oriental Art, and Lalit Kala Akademi, as well as in Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. Participated
in benefit shows and auctions, including Khushii’s – India on Canvas auction, New Delhi (2009), Oberoi Grand for Gujarat Relief Fund in
the presence of H.E.V.J Shah, Governor of West Bengal; Oberoi Grand for Thalasaemia Society of India; Taj Hotel, Kolkata for CM Relief
Fund; Calcutta Swimming Club & Lion Club, for Tsunami Fund; Christies at the British High Commissioners residence in Delhi; Asian Art
Foundation, California, U.S.A. Works in private and museum collections; corporate houses and offices; and galleries in India and Africa,
Dubai, France, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, the U.K., and the U.S.A.
??????????????
Everything for...
Tune of Life
42
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
mixed media on canvas with wood 35 x 41 inches 2011
mixed media on canvas with wood 35 x 41 inches 2011
43
Partha Shaw
Born in Kolkata in 1971, Partha Shaw completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan in 1992, and his Masters in Visual
Arts from Rabindra Bharati, Kolkata in 1994. He has held solo shows of his work in Kolkata and New Delhi, besides participating in many
group exhibitions held in different parts of India and abroad including in Mumbai, Bangalore and London. He has exhibited with Art Alive,
Art Positive and Indigo Blue; his work has also been featured in auctions by Saffron Art. Partha has toured extensively and taken part in
important art camps and workshops. His work is held by collectors in various parts of India and abroad. Partha lives and works in Kolkata.
Untitled
Untitled
44
acrylic on handmade board 45 x 40 inches 2006
acrylic on handmade board 29 x 22 inches 2006
45
Prakash Karmarkar
Studied at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata. A highly recognised artist, recipient to date of the National Award from the
Lalit Kala Akademi in 1965 and 1968, as well as awards from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata in 1970 and the Birla Academy of Arts
and Culture, Kolkata in 1976. In 1968, he received a scholarship from the French Government to travel to France. In 1957, Karmarkar
participated in the national art exhibition held in New Delhi. Here, he received an award for his watercolour. By then, he had also begun
holding more street exhibitions, which catapulted him into the limelight. The artist was a close friend of several poets. He would often sit
with poet Shakti Chattopadhyay and while the latter wrote his poetry, Karmarkar would make his paintings. Karmarkar also worked in artist
Nirode Mazumdar’s studio between 1964 and 1967. His works are in the Collections of the Lalit Kala Akademis in Bangalore, Lucknow
and New Delhi; the Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata; the Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal; and the Hyderabad Museum. Extensive group exhibition
experience throughout India such as Nitanjali Art Gallery’s Uninterrupted Journeys in Mumbai (2007), and A Wonderful World, Four Steps
Benefit in New Delhi (2009).
Untitled
46
acrylic on canvas 46 x 38 inches 2007
Untitled
mixed media on paper 27 x 21 inches 2007
47
Prasenjit Sengupta
Prasenjit Sengupta completed his graduation in Fine Arts from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. Some of his important solo shows have
been at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, organized by Gallery Sanskriti, Kolkata in 2005 and 2007; at the ABC Art Gallery, Varanasi
in 1996; at the Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; and at the Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata in 1994, along with several group shows
abroad. Among many awards won during his painting career, some prestigious ones are from the Birla Academy of Art and Culture Award
in 1994, 1999 and 2000. His works are in the collection of RPG Enterprises, the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, ABC India
Limited, Lalit Kala Akademi, Burdwan Palace and many other private collections in India and abroad.
??????????????
Face of a Woman
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
acrylic on canvas 25 x 25 inches 2012
Detail
48
49
Sakti Burman
Born in 1935, in Kolkata, Sakti Burman studied at the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, 1956, and later went to the Ecole
Nationale des Beaux- Arts, Paris. He has lived in France for the last five decades, while maintaining strong ties with India, where he regularly
exhibits his work. In France, his talent has been duly noted by the conferral of prestigious honours and awards, incluidng the Prix des
Etrangers; the Invite d’Honneur; and the Medaille Arts. A painter and lithographer, Burman’s art has mythic and fantasy content and rich
colours. Renowned in india and abroad, his work has been exhibited extensively. Selected solo exhibitions over five decades include: Jehangir
Art Gallery, Mumbai (2012); Shridharani Art Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi (2012); Maison de L’UNESCO, Paris; Art Alive,
New Delhi, Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi (2007 and 2006); Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai (2006, 2001, 1994,
1988, 1977, 1967); Retrospective, Apparo Galleries at Visual Arts Gallery (2005); Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata (2001); Art
Today, New Delhi (2001); and Salon d’Automne, Paris (1998). He has participated in group exhibitions across India and Europe, as well
as in New York and East Asia.
Untitled
mixed media on paper 19 x 25 inches 2007
Detail
50
51
Sanjay Bhattacharya
In the year 1994, Sanjay Bhattacharya had his solo exhibition entitled Rajiv Gandhi: Landscape of a Man at the National Gallery of Modern
Art (NGMA) in New Delhi. Perhaps, he is the only painter in India who has exhibited as a solo artist in the N.G.M.A. at such a young
age. Born in 1958, Bhattacharya is known for a British orthodox technique of watercolour and realistic rendering in his mammoth size oil
canvases. He has painted portraits of the honourable Presidents Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma and Mr. K.R. Narayanan for Rashtrapati Bhawan.
His portrait of Shri Rajiv Gandhi is a part of Shrimati Sonia Gandhi’s collection. He has had other solo exhibitions of paintings in New Delhi,
Mumbai, Kolkata, New York and London. A passionate photographer as well, Bhattacharya has had four photography exhibitions up to date
in New Delhi, New York and Mumbai.
Untitled
Untitled
52
watercolour on paper 30 x 44 inches 2012
watercolour on paper 30 x 44 inches 2012
53
Satadru Sovan Banduri
B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees in Painting from Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati, Santiniketan, West Bengal. Visva Bharati Merit Scholarship awardee
(1993/4, 1998/9, 1999-2000); Fulbright Scholarship, DAMN, Santa Cruz, CA, U.S.A.; and Ravi Jain Memorial Foundation award
for painting (2002-3). Solo and group exhibitions at Cyberoromanticisms, Alliance Francaise with Montage Arts (2011); Netizens &
Cyberscapes, Lakeside Art Gallery West, Michigan City, IN, USA (2010); SMS…Buzzin Sensation, Nitanjali Art Gallery, New Delhi (2008);
Dhoomimal Art Gallery, New Delhi (2004); De Montage Arts, New Delhi (2006, 2007); RPG, Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata (1996);
Birla Academy, Kolkata (1996, 1999, 2000, 2003); Cochin, Kerala (2000); Galerie Muller & Plate, Munich, Germany (2002-2004);
UCSC, California (2007); Arts Council En-gendered, Lincoln Center, New York (2008); and Mellifluous Metaphors, Nitanjali Art Gallery
with the Wei-Ling Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2008). Video exhibitions in the Netherlands (2004); Pakistan (2004); and the Video Art
Road Show, Mumbai, Baroda, and Delhi (2004). Participation in international residencies, art camps and art fairs. Installation art works in
California, USA; Kolkata, and Santiniketan, West Bengal,
Dear Deer Come Here
Cyber Babes Lost in her Strap
54
acrylic on canvas 41 x 55 inches 2011
acrylic on canvas 41 x 67 inches 2011
55
Shipra Bhattacharya
Born in Calcutta. B.Sc. graduate of the Calcutta University. Studied Fine Arts at the College of Visual Arts, Kolkata, under the guidance of
her teacher and mentor Shuvaprasanna whom she later married, and the Government College of Arts and Crafts. Solo exhibitions include
the Tagore Art Gallery, Kolkata (1988); the Grindlays, Madras (1989); Apparao Gallery, Madras (1995); Birla Academy, Kolkata (1997,
2002); Sridharani Art Gallery, New Delhi (1997); Desire, Sanskriti Art Gallery, Kolkata and New York; and India Habitat Centre, New
Delhi (2003). Group exhibitions and workshops in graphics, painting and terracotta. Participated in Nitanjali Art Gallery’s Looking Back to
Look Forward at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre in New Delhi (2011); Digressing Domains exhibition, at Lalit Kala Akademi,
New Delhi (2006); the art camp Nitanjali held in Basel, Switzerland (2008), and the ensuing show Manthan at Galerie Romain Rolland,
Alliance Francaise, New Delhi (2009). International exhibitions featured in Germany, the United States, the U.K., Singapore, Hong Kong,
Paris and Dubai. Publications to date are The Dream and Reality (1982); Eyes of Time (1983); Between the Earth and the Sky (1993); and
Shuttle, Graphics and Verse, Dresden and Kolkata (1995). Works in the collections of the NGMA, New Delhi; Lalit Kala Akademi, New
Delhi; College of Art, New Delhi; Birla Academy, Kolkata; Fukuoka Collection, Japan; New York; Washington, D.C.; London; Hong Kong;
Singapore; Dubai; and many private collections.
Detail
56
She
mixed media on canvas 60 x 40 inches 2006
57
Shubra Das
Born in New Delhi. Received her Masters of Visual Art, Painting, Lalit Kala Sansthan, Agra (2005); and Bachelors of Fine Arts, Applied Art,
College of Art, New Delhi (2003). Academic year awards in 2001/2 and 2000/01. Solo exhibitions include Perception is the Next Reality,
with Nitanjali Art Gallery at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre; Spectrum of Sensuality, and Benign Bent at the Open Palm Court
Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi (2007 and 2005respectively). Group exhibitions include Body x Body, Nitanjali Art Gallery at the
Alliance Francaise, New Delhi (2008); Collector’s Corner at Lodi Garden Restaurant, New Delhi (2008); Charity group show, SAVERA,
Intercontinental, New Delhi (2007); Art Smart, at Nehru Centre, Mumbai, and the Academy of Fine Arts & Literature, New Delhi (2007);
Rhythms of Illumination, at Grand Hyatt Dubai, Nitanjali Art Gallery (2007); High on Art, at Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre,
New Delhi (2007); Museum Centre Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai by PRdot9 (2007); Travancore Art Gallery, New Delhi, by Habiart
Foundation (2007); Academy of Fine Arts & Literature, New Delhi, by Habiart Foundation (2006); Auction by Kushii, India on Canvas,
New Delhi (2009 and 2006); Travancore Art Gallery, New Delhi, Celebrating India, by TRYO India (2006); Art Gallery, India International
Centre, Gallery Art Positive, New Delhi (2006); Hudco Bhavan, India Habitat Centre, organized by Habiart Foundation, New Delhi (2006);
The Rising Stars, Gallery Art Positive, New Delhi (2005); Arambha at the Rabindra Bhavan, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi (2005); and
Apparao Galleries, at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi (2003-04).
Awakening
Untitled
58
oil on canvas 36 x 48 inches 2012
oil on canvas 48 x 72 inches 2012
59
Shuvaprasanna
Born in Kolkata. Graduated from the Indian College of Arts, Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata in 1969. An active member of the Calcutta
Painters group, he was a founding trustee of the College of Visual Arts, and the Arts Acre Artists Studio. Trained as a graphic artist, he
draws, paints and sculpts. He is married to the artist Shipra Bhattacharya. He has won a number of awards and writes on art and social
issues. Represented India at the Ankara (1990) and Havana (1986) Biennales, and the India Triennale (1991). His work has been exhibited
in over 30 solo shows including Birla Academy, Kolkata; Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi; Gallery Denbarg, Geneva; Max Mueller Bhavan,
Kolkata; Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; Indian Museum, Kolkata; CIMA Gallery, Kolkata; Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi; IDM Gallery,
Munich; Gallery Sanskriti, New Delhi; Galerie Grewal Mohanjeet, Paris; Art Today, New Delhi; British Council, Kolkata; and Art Indus,
New Delhi. His group shows with museums and galleries span India and internationally in Bangladesh, Canada, France, Germany, Japan,
Singapore, Switzerland, the U.K., and the United States. Participated in Nitanjali Art Gallery’s Digressing Domains exhibition, at Lalit Kala
Akademi, New Delhi (2006); the art camp Nitanjali held in Basel, Switzerland (2008), and the ensuing show Manthan at Galerie Romain
Rolland, Alliance Francaise, New Delhi (2009); and A Wonderful World, Four Steps Benefit with Nitanjali Art Gallery in New Delhi (2009).
Works in the Collections of the NGMA, New Delhi; Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; College of Art, New Delhi; Chandigarh Museum;
NCERT, New Delhi; Birla Academy, Kolkata; Air India; Taj Group of Hotels; Times of India Group; WHO, Geneva; Kratel SA Stuttgart,
Germany; Glenberra Art Museum, Japan; and many others.
Owl
Golden Flute
60
oil on canvas 36 x 36 inches 2009
acrylic on canvas 20 x 20 inches 2006
61
Sourav Bhattacharya
B.F.A from Rabindra Bharti University, West Bengal in 2005 with first class honours. Participated in College Annual Shows (2002-05) and
Academy Annual Exhibition (2003). Received several awards including Best Painting Award in College Annual Show (2005). Solo exhibition
with Nitanjali Art Gallery at Alliance Francaise in 2009. Participated in Nitanjali’s Indian Art Unbound II, Grand Hyatt Dubai, UAE (2005);
Indian Art Unbound Revisited, Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi (2005); Euphonic Palettes, Mumbai, (2006); Euphonic Palettes, at the Alliance
Francaise, New Delhi (2006); Dialogue, Nitanjali and Ejaz Art Galleries, Lahore, (2006); Euphonic Palettes-Dubai (2006); Uninterrupted
Journeys, Dubai; Uninterrupted Journeys, Mumbai (2007); Resplendent Reveries, Dubai (2007); Mellifluous Metaphors, Nitanjali Art
Gallery with the Wei-Ling Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2008); and A Wonderful World, Four Steps Benefit in New Delhi (2009). Private
collections across the world, including Dubai (U.A.E); Hong Kong; London (U.K.); Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco (U.S.A.);
Zurich (Switzerland); and India.
Touch Me if You Can
The Observant
62
mixed media on canvas 46 x 40 inches 2011
mixed media on canvas 40 x 46 inches 2011
63
Suhas Roy
Born in Dhaka, he studied at the Indian College of Arts and Draughtsmanship, Kolkata (1953-1958). In 1965, he travelled to Paris on a
French government supported exchange program to study graphic art at the Atelier 17 under the tutelage of S.W. Hayter. Concurrently, he
studied mural art at the prestigious Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts in Paris. Following this stage, he assumed the position as
head of the Department of Graphics at the Indian College of Arts and Draughtsmanship (spanning the years 1959 to 1973); henceforth
he shifted to Visva Bharti University, Santiniketan as a lecturer and then reader in 1982. Formerly he headed the Department of Painting
at Santiniketan. Exhibited extensively throughout India and abroad, including the Asian Graphic Prints Travelling Exhibition, USA; the
Contemporary Indian Art, a travelling exhibition in the former Yugoslavia, in Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary; and at the National
Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi. Participated in Nitanjali Art Gallery’s Indian Art Unbound Revisited, Taj Mahal Hotel, New
Delhi (2005); Digressing Domains, Nitanjali at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi (2006); Euphonic Palettes-Dubai (2006); Uninterrupted
Journeys, Mumbai (2007); and A Wonderful World, Four Steps Benefit in New Delhi (2009).
Untitled
64
Untitled
oil on canvas 20 x 16 inches 2011
oil on canvas 24 x 20 inches 2011
65
Sunil Das
Probably India’s most important post-modern expressionist, he was born in Calcutta, and studied at the Government College of Arts and
Crafts, Calcutta. In 1960, he won a French Government Scholarship to the Ecole National des Beaux Arts. Later he joined Government
service for the Ministry of Textiles. Since then continued art and official work simultaneously holding important positions as a Member of
Purchase Committee for the National Art Exhibition of 1979; Miniature Format Exhibition of 1980, Jury for the Hyderabad State Akademi;
Committee member of 5th Triennale India (1982); and Member of the General Council of the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. Over fifty
solo exhibitions including Galerie Foyer des Artistes, Paris; Max Mueller Bhavan, Kolkata and Chennai; and retrospective shows in Kolkata,
Basel, Zurich, Hamburg, London, New York, and New Delhi. Participated in group shows in India and abroad such as Nitanjali Art Gallery’s
Euphonic Palettes, Alliance Francaise, New Delhi (2006); and A Wonderful World, Four Steps benefit in New Delhi (2009). His work has
been included in the Biennales of Paris, Dacca, and Tokyo. Served as Commissioner to the Sao Paulo Biennale and was a member of the
jury of the ‘Prix des Etrangeres’, Paris. Sunil Das rose to prominence with his drawing of horses. “I must have done 7000 horses between
the years 1950 to 1960,” he says. “In 1962, I went to Spain, where I was fascinated by the bull fights.”
Untitled
charcoal on paper 31 x 30 inches 1995
Detail
66
67
Banglar Sur
Tunes of Bengal
19th - 23rd April 2012
Visual Arts Gallery
India Habitat Centre
Lodi Road, New Delhi
25th April - 16th May 2012
Nitanjali Arts Gallery
C-66, Anand Niketan
New Delhi
Presented and Published by Nitanjali Art Gallery
Curated and Edited by Elizabeth Rogers
Photographs of works by Yogesh Salhotra
Design and Printed at
Archana, www.archanapress.com
Catalogue© Nitanjali Art Gallery
Text© Elizabeth Rogers
All rights reserved. No parts of this catalogue may be reproduced/stored
in retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior permission
in writing from the publishers. February 2012.
68