New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi showcases works by Indian modernists

New Delhi : Lalit Kala Akademi has dug into its collection of over 7,000 artworks to bring out a set of 70 paintings and sculptures from Indian modernist masters, including Tyeb Mehta, Jatin Das, Bhupen Khakhar, and Arpana Caur. The exhibition, titled ‘Imag(in)ing the Immediate’, is first among the series of such shows that will feature works from the expansive collection at the National Academy of Art, chairman V Nagdas said at the inauguration on Wednesday. “National collections need periodical re-assessment. Works of art are not static entities.

As they move through time, they grow the ability to create newer ideas and narratives. We have long term plans to engage curators from various disciplines so that they could position the works in ever renewable contexts making the collection vibrant and relevant,” Nagdas said.

The exhibition puts together works by master modernists as well as lesser known artists in a manner to “see how stylistic and thematic exchanges had happened irrespective of the fame and name of the artists”. “I find it interesting to see the works of highly established artists like Tyeb Mehta, KG Subramanyan, A Ramachandran, Bhupen Khakhar, Rameshwar Broota, Gogi Saroj Pal, Arpita Singh, Arpana Caur and so on juxtaposed with the works done by lesser known artist with almost no catalogue details.

The exhibition is all about juxtaposition of images and imaginings of our modern times as collected and preserved by the Lalit Kala Akademi,” curator Johny ML said. While paintings by renowned artists such as Amitava Das, Anant Anekar, Madhvi Parekh, MK Sharma, KK Hebbar, Katayun Saklat, Jagubhai Shah, Ram Kinkar Baij, and Satyen Ghoshal line up the walls at the Akademi, sculptures by S Nandgopal, PV Jankiram, HG Arun Kumar, and G Raghu have also been included in the ongoing exhibition. The show will come to an end on November 28.