Celebrating Ambadas

The India International Centre (IIC) presents yet another exhibition, titled ‘Celebrating Amabadas’, which will be inaugurated today at 6 pm by H.E. Hans Jacob Frydenlund, Ambassador of Norway.

To be on view from June 17, 2023, to June 27, 2023, from 11 am to 7 pm daily, the exhibition is a tribute to one of India’s finest masters of abstract art, Ambadas Khobragade, on his birth centenary by the Ushaarth Art Foundation. The foundation is a not-for-profit trust with the primary aim of increasing awareness about Indian modern and contemporary art and artists, especially among the youth, with a special focus on students from underprivileged and physically challenged backgrounds.

The show includes paintings and drawings spanning seven decades of the artists’ practice, from the collection of ‘Dhoomimal Gallery’ as well as works from several private collections. Also on display are personal letters, photographs, old catalogues and writings related to Ambadas and his work.

Celebrated as one of India’s finest master abstractionists, Ambadas mixed his paints in kerosene and varnish, the former to break and scatter the pigment and the latter to bind it, leading to the distinctively unique appearance of his brush strokes. He didn’t use an easel. Instead, he used to place his canvas on the floor and move all around it with unbridled energy, stopping only once the painting reached its completion.