The event also highlighted the opening of its prestigious annual exhibition Iconic Masterpieces of Indian Modern Art, Edition 2, which continues to explore and expand the repertoire of Indian art with rare and historic works by Western and Eastern orientalists, India’s National Treasure artists, undiscovered pre-modern masters, the Progressives, and other modernists and sculptors that, collectively, tell the story of Indian art practise across two centuries.
On display were thirty masterpieces including the only sculpture created by Amrita Sher-Gil, a rare painting from the Ramayan by Japanese master Shokin Katsuta, the largest scroll painted by Avinash Chandra, a portrait by Bengal School founder Abanindranath Tagore, a prescient painting on the outcome of the war in East Pakistan leading to the creation of Bangladesh, by Chittaprosad, a Company Painting from the time of the East India Company and its involvement in the opium trade. These are among the 50 works that include F. N. Souza, M. F. Husain, S. H. Raza, Ganesh Haloi, Natvar Bhavsar, Krishen Khanna, Ram Kumar, Prabhakar Barwe, M. V. Dhurandhar, Nirode Mazumdar, and others. Each of these works has been selected for its exceptional quality; many are rare, historic paintings, and a selection such as this would be the envy of any museum.
The special evening saw art collectors, patrons and art connoisseurs in attendance including the likes of Naresh Gujral, Mohit & Feroze Gujral, Priya Paul, Indrani Paul, Vivek Nanda, Andrew Logan, Gauri Keeling, Rajeev Sethi, Suhel Seth, Chetan Seth, Gayatri Rangachari Shah, Akshay Chudasama, Kazem Samandari and wife, Manjeet Bhullar, Sanjoy Roy, Aman Nath, Sonali and Manat Rastogi, Peter and Cecile d’Ascoli, artists Manu and Madhvi Parekh among others.
–IANS