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
neglected 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.