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An absence of form

Indian Abstracts: An Absence of Form is a seminal exhibition that charts the development of abstraction in modern Indian art, featuring close to 70 artists. The exhibition brings together for the first time a vast body of work spanning a vast range of styles that have evolved in modern Indian art. The retrospective is an investigation into the evolution of abstraction in Indian art from the early 1950s till current times. Part of a continued series, Indian Abstracts is Delhi Art Gallery’s attempt to continue to document the richly diverse and many less understood aspects of modern Indian art.

Featuring three hundred and fifty works by over 60 significant practitioners of Indian abstraction, Indian Abstracts: An Absence of Form explores the eventful and unique journey of abstraction in modern Indian art. Indian abstract artists drew on a range of influences in their work – Western abstract art, in particular the works of artists such as Klee, Rothko, Pollock or Calder, East- Asian influences, and significantly, a range of traditional, tribal, folk and tantric art - for their techniques, themes and approaches.

The exhibition features prominent and significant Indian abstractionists recognised for the maturity of their imagery such as - V S Gaitonde, S H Raza, Ram Kumar, Nasreen Mohammedi, Zarina Hashmi, Jeram Patel, Shanti Dave, Ganesh Haloi, Krishna Reddy, J Swaminathan and V Vishwanadhan. Additionally, it also brings together lesser-known abstract works of artists that are known for their fidelity to figurative or representative art – these feature artists such as M F Husain, Somnath Hore, Dharamnarayan Dasgupta, Benode Behari Mukherjee, Sunil Das and Rabin Mondal – their abstract works are a delight to behold and add significantly to our understanding of Indian modernism’s journey.

An over 400-page, substantial volume of art scholarship will accompany this significant exhibition, featuring colour plates of artworks and scholarship by leading art historians examining the journey of the abstract in Indian art.

Delhi Art Gallery presents this significant exhibition on Indian abstract art, at its premises in Hauz Khas Village. Art lovers don't miss this!

WHERE: Delhi Art Gallery, Hauz Khas Village WHEN: 10 August to 30 September
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