In the mid-twentieth century, Bombay (now Mumbai) became the pivot of the Indian art
world, moving away from the romanticism of the Bengal School. The ground-breaking phenomenon of the Progressive Artists’ Group was preceded by the Bombay School artists whose expressive individuality was rooted in Indian contexts as subjects that endeared them to viewers hoping to move beyond the pedagogy of Western realism. A thriving climate of appreciation and understanding furthered the making of a modernism that provided the bedrock for Indian artists to flourish in Cholamandal, Madras (now Chennai) and Hyderabad, New Delhi, Baroda and Goa, even Paris and New York. What emerged was a layered tapestry of art rooted in classicism and tradition but modern in its outlook that, in turn, nurtured the creation and maturing of Indian modern art.
This selection echoes these changes across critical periods, collectives and mediums to provide a bird’s-eye view of art and artists whose legacies lay in breaking from the conventional to respond to the spirit of the modern. The curatorial eclecticism has been spurred by enquiry and curiosity into the practices of art-making that these artists held dear—processes that allowed them to create works that each have a back story as intriguing as the art on view. It also lends voice to masters from the south who are often on national platforms-an anomaly this exhibition hopes to correct.
As Indian modernism attracts growing attention from around the world, it is time to celebrate the great range and diversity that has distinguished its making. This exhibition pays homage to the artists who made this possible with a body of works that, viewed together, provides us a compendium of twentieth century art that both draws from and establishes its own heritage.