Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Detail of TimesB Mehta’s ‘Trussed Bull’. Consideration: Saffronart Summary The upcoming cultural calendar contains exhibitions in celebration of the centenary years of three important artists in 2002, the celebration of Times B Mehta, which obtained inspiration from the Santhals Charak Festival, sold for £ 1.5 crore by Christie’s. At the time, this set the highest price for an Indian painting for the auction house. Girish Shahane, who was the editor of Art India magazine in 1998, remembers that he visited Mehta’s home in Andheri, Mumbai, for a cover story about the artist. It was then that Mehta revealed an interesting story behind celebration. The artist, who began his creative journey as a film editor at Famous Studios in Mumbai before graduating from Sir JJ School of Art in 1952, later became a member of the group Progressive Artists. He was instructed by Times Bank (who later merged with HDFC Bank) to work on the Triptych. Every Sunday, the artist would transport the three panels to his neighbor’s home when the latter would take out his family on weekend trips. It was only once a week that he saw the work developed as a whole. The rest of the days he focuses on painting each panel as there was limited space in his own home. Shahane has now been withdrawn by the times B Mehta Foundation and Vadehra Art Gallery, Delhi, for an upcoming ‘Tribute Exhibition’ that will be held early next year as part of the artist’s Centennial celebrations. “We will contain works of backup or times Be Mehta, except to show works by contemporary artists inspired by him,” says Roshini Vadehra, director of Vadehra Art Gallery. In addition to films and discussions on the artistic practice of Mehta, many of the books about the artist, published by the gallery in the past. This includes Times Be Mehta: ideas, images, exchanges, which vadehra describes as an essential reading, as the artist himself worked carefully in the early 1970s. Later, in a subsequent edition, the curator and cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskot added a fresh perspective on the artist’s method and his contribution as an Indian modernist. It is an important year for art enthusiasts to explore important artistic practices of Ram Kumar, Mehta, FN Souza, Krishen Khanna and the vs. Gaitonde, which formed the course of modern Indian art. Each of them marked important milestones between 2024-25. The length and breadth of their practices are deeply fainted with the growth of modern India as it came from the horrors of division and began on a path of nation -building. The centenary celebrations, through exhibitions, book reprints, a narrative of stories via films, documentary films, seminars and talks, allow for a thorough investigation into Indian modernism when considered by their individual practices and in the composition of one another. “These artists have changed the way we look at Indian art today. Not only that, they have built the market with record prices at international auctions. We have to keep seeing why their practice still matters today,” explains Uday Jain, director, Dhoomimal Gallery, Delhi. He is editing a rare sound interview that has not been released, with Ram Kumar done with art and film critic Vinod Bharadwaj a few years ago. The sound recording is released along with some of Kumar’s early sketches made in the 1960s on important arts in the coming months, and early next year, in an effort to celebrate the unique position in Delhi in Indian Modernism. Take a look at the full image an installation view of ‘Shape of a thought: letters from ram kumar’ at the Museum of Art and Photography, Bengaluru events to commemorate the artist, who celebrated his centenary in 2024, is also still in this year. For example, Kumar Art Gallery, Delhi, holds group performances in the coming months, which emphasize the practices of Mehta and Kumar. One of the earliest art galleries to sign artists such as Krishen Khanna, Mehta and Kumar, among others, on monthly commissions, while also offering some of their earliest shows, the gallery plans to hold a show that coincides with India Art Fair in 2026. Kumar who paints the artist’s paint. Kumar was a productive writer before becoming known for his paintings, especially his abstract versions of landscapes. The exhibition continues until October 26 and also contains the film The Spaces between the author and the filmmaker Naveed Mulki; It explores letter exchanges between Ram Kumar and his friends talking about life, art and the world. The exciting exhibition also encourages audiences to write letters to themselves, to their loved ones or strangers, or even to a city through a set of directions. Another artist whose centenary year is celebrated this year is Satish Gujral. His autobiography, a brush with life, is also reprinted to release in time for a landmark exhibition in the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, in January 2026. The book, which came out in 1997, was edited by author Khushwant Singh and brought the personal struggle of the artist in India. With more than 150 works of art that can be seen, the Satish Gujral Centennial exhibition, according to Kishore Singh, curator of the show, will look at the catalytic moments that formed his practice. By recreating the artist’s studio and his library (Gujral was a productive reader), the exhibition will allow visitors to understand the artist as a person, and who motivated him to paint, image and create the way he did. The Gujral Foundation, which compiles the retrospective and a year-long programming with Kishore Singh, is also getting rights on mainstream films related to the partition-an event that has affected Gujral a lot. In addition to the retrospective, Gujral House – where he lives until the end of his life – will also display and explore the most important facets of his architectural practice. Take a look at the full Beeld Saath Gujral with an architecture model. Consuming the Gujral Foundation, which built a market for less than five months ago, Mehta’s Trussed Bull (1956), auctioned by Saffronart during the 25th anniversary sale, scored a world record for the artist when he sold for £ 61.80, almost nine times the higher estimate. This was the beginning of a year -long collaboration between Saffronart and TimesB Mehta Foundation in celebration of the centenary of the artist. Two weeks ago, the talks with Chai meeting in Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, an annual memorial lecture delivered by Hoskote, followed by the announcement of the TimesB Mehta Foundation of Students at SIR JJ School of Art. It also contains the release of a portfolio with limited editions of 13 prints selected by late artist Sakina Mehta. These works span his career of six decades and reflect the evolution of his simple artistic voice. Later in the year, Saffronart and TimesB Mehta Foundation released a short film that offers a personal look at the life of Mehta, except for publications on the artist, and a retrospective exhibition presented at the Saffronart Foundation and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in the collaboration with the Times. At the upcoming auction next month, Pundole’s, Mumbai, Kumar and Mehta, except for several other artists. While Mehta’s work is an untitled oil from 1983, estimated at £ 8-12 crore, Ram Kumar’s work is estimated at £ 60-80 Lakh. However, Shahane makes an important point that although not everything in art has to deal with numbers, attention to high prices at auctions eventually increases the amount of scientific attention paid to these works. This creates the motivation for works that can be preserved for future generations. Manoj Mansukhani, director, marketing at Mumbai-based Astaguru Auction House reckons that this year is a milestone in the story of Indian modern art. ‘The clear yet interwoven legacies of Ram Kumar, Times Be Mehta and Saath Gujral, map the evolution of the artistic voice of a people … Together these three modernists have exceeded boundaries – between figuration and abstraction; painting and architecture; Tradition and modernity, which not only leave masterpieces, but a legacy that continues, is more a century and a century that is a century, and a century that is a century, and a century that is a century. Keep their art, “he says. Abhilasha Ojha is an arts and cultural writer in Delhi. Catch all the business news, market news, news reports and latest news updates on live mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More topics #features read next story
Celebrate a century: the artistic legacy of three Indian modernists
