S H Raza: Thirst for an Indian elixir
New works by S H Raza, 92 this year, feature in a selling exhibition titled Pyaas (Hindu/Urdu: thirst) at London’s Grosvenor Vadehra gallery 2 – 14 June 2014. Syed Haider Raza, born 1922, has lived and worked in France since 1950. His formal education, including Nagpur School of Art, Nagpur (1939–43), Sir J J School of Art, Bombay (1943–47) and École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, encompassed both eastern and...
Jamil Naqsh & Najmi Sura: An Epic Romance
The first thing to consider about Jamil Naqsh & Najmi Sura: An Epic Romance, the exhibition at London’s Albemarle Gallery (5-28 June 2014) is how long it has taken this joint show to materialise, writes SAJID RIZVI. Neither Naqsh nor Sura are spring chicken and while Naqsh has accumulated fame and fortune his lifetime muse Sura has practiced her art virtually in purdah. Previous appearances of her art have occurred more...
Last of the master: Final paintings of M F Husain
Nine paintings by the late M F Husain (1915-2011), described as his final major works before his passing, are on public display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 28 May–27 July 2014, writes SAJID RIZVI. It’s a poignant tour de force and a foretaste, interrupted, of what could or would have been a sumptuous feast of Maqbool Fida Husain’s creative expression had he not died in self-imposed exile in London....
New book and exhibitions on Mohan Samant, his life and paintings
The artist Mohan Samant was described by Ranjit Hoskote, by way of a compliment, as “the missing link in the evolutionary narrative of contemporary art in India.” Now a book on the life and work of this extraordinary but little known artist has been published in an impressive tome coinciding with a London exhibition and a major retrospective in Mumabi, writes SAJID RIZVI. Mohan Samant: Paintings, by Ranjit Hoskote, Marcella Sirhandi...
Jamil Naqsh at Asia House
The artist Jamil Naqsh features in a new exhibition, The Painted Word, 8-31 August 2013, at Asia House, London. The Painted Word is the final instalment of a large exhibition of calligraphy, portraiture and other works by the Pakistani artist, organised by Albemarle Gallery. Naqsh is resident in London. The exhibition will showcase more than 200 paintings, including works on the theme of The 99 Names of God, calligraphed verses in...
The Jameel Prize 2009
Jameel Prize curator Tim Stanley, Senior Curator in the V&A’s Asian Department, offers the background to the Jameel Prize after its launch in 2009. By TIM STANLEY On 7 July 2009 the first Jameel Prize was awarded to the artist Afruz Amighi, who was born in Iran in 1974 but who has lived in New York since she was three. Amighi’s winning work, 1001 Pages, is a beautiful shadow piece, made by cutting a complex design into a...