PRESSRELEASE
On the eve of SH Raza’s 92nd Birthday, Vadehra Art Gallery presents Parikrama: Around Gandhi
Vadehra Art Gallery is pleased to present Parikrama: Around Gandhi, opening on the 21st of February at Vadehra Art Gallery, D-40 Defense Colony, New Delhi, an exhibition of the Modernist Master’s new works executed after his return to India in 2010. Raza saw Mahatma Gandhi in a public meeting in Mandla, his hometown in Madhya Pradesh, when he was 8 years old. This ‘darshan’ left an indelible mark on him. Whenever he visited Delhi from Paris between 1950 and 2010, Raza visited Rajghat to pay respect to the great soul at his samadhi. He has always been inspired by Gandhian deeds, concepts and words. Since his return to Delhi, Raza has been working on a series inspired by the teachings of Gandhi. He explores them in his own inimitable style without falling into traps of representation or illustration. They are tributes to a great human being by a master of our times. In conjunction with the exhibition and the artist’s birthday, Vadehra Art Gallery in association with The Raza Foundation will release two books Raza: A Journey of the Master and Geysers. The Ambassador of France François Richier has graciously consented to launch these books on 22 February 2014 at the Embassy of France in New Delhi. Raza: A Journey of the Master is a collectors’ delight with about 100 large, high quality prints of the artist’s important works. A limited number of books will have prints with the artist’s signature on it.Geysers is a book of correspondence between Raza and fellow artists and critic friends: Akbar Padamsee, Bal Chhabda, E. Schlesinger, FN Souza, Gaintonde, Laxman Pai, MF Husain, Ram Kumar, RV Leyden, Tyeb Mehta and Walter Langhammar.
"Raza is a great colourist as well as a master of form. Not many artists in the world can orchestrate colours the way he can akin to a composer who conducts various musicians effortlessly.
Fascinating is that ,there is a tonality so masterfully achieved on the canvas,which not only happens automatically but is also rooted in his in-depth study of Indology, from where the concept of seed or Bindu comes which ultimately gives rise to the entire universe."
About the Artist
SH Raza was born in Babaria, Madhya Pradesh, in 1922. He studied at Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, and Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris.
His awards include: Padma Bhushan by the Government of India (2007); Lalit Kala Ratna Puraskar by Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi (2004); Padma Shri by the Government of India (1981); the Kalidas Sanman National Award by Government of Madhya Pradesh (1981); the Prix de la Critique (1956); the Gold Medal by Bombay Art Society (1948); the Silver Medal Bombay Art Society (1946).
His important solo exhibitions include: Antardhwani, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi (2013); Bindu Vistaar, Grosvenor Gallery, London (2012); Punaragaman, Vadehra Art Gallery and Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi (2011); Raza – A Retrospective, Saffronart, New York in association with Berkeley Square Gallery (2007); Celebrating 85 Years of Living Legend S H Raza, a Traveling Exhibition at Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Mumbai, New Delhi, organized by Aryan Art Gallery, New Delhi (2007); Retrospective 1952-91, Palais Carnles, Musee de Menton, France (1991); Solo show, Galleria Matuzia, San Remo, Italy (1975); Solo show, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, Berkeley, University of California, California, USA (1962).
His important group exhibitions include: Ram Kumar and the Bombay Progressives: The Form and the Figure Part II, Aicon Gallery, New York (2013); Des duos et des couples, Aixen Provence, France (with Pablo Picasso and Francoise Gillot) (2003); Tryst with Destiny, Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai (1997); L’ Estampe Aujourd’hui, Bibliotheque Nationale: Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporian, Grand Palais, Paris (1978).
His international participations include: Transition, 20th Anniversary Show, Centre of International Modern Art(CIMA), Kolkata (2013-14); Roots in the Air, Branches Below: Modern & Contemporary Art from India, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose (2011); FromEveryday To The Imagined: Modern Indian Art, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore and at Museum of Art, Seoul National University, Seoul (2007-08); International Biennale de Dakar
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Vadehra Gallery
Vadehra Art Gallery is a leading Indian contemporary art gallery, based in New Delhi with a unique offering - hosting regular exhibitions from both established and emerging artists, with a publishing arm, a Gallery Book Store, and the FICA Research Fellowship programme, as well as an international affiliation with Grosvenor Vadehra in London. Since its inception in 1987, Vadehra Art Gallery (VAG) has promoted contemporary Indian art through exhibitions, retrospectives, publications and educational programmes. Over the last 20 years, the gallery has become the locus through which the works of both modern and contemporary artists have reached the public. VAG’s position as an artistic interlocutor with the public is especially vital in contemporary India because of the lack of a vibrant art museum culture.
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