Exhibition Title: Chehre
Exhibition Inauguration- Monday, 8th October, 2018
Time: 4:00 pm onwards
Venue: PERMANENT WING – NATIONAL GALLERY OF MODERN ART, NEW DELHI
The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Ministry of Culture, Government of India is extremely pleased inaugurate the exhibition titled, Chehre showcasing re-oriented Level- 1 of Permanent Wing of NGMA. The treasures showcased here mark the first phase of the re- orientation of the gallery in which rarely seen sculptures will be on seen for the first time in an expansive view. The exhibition focuses on teh art of portraiture executed in an individualistic manner by the artists. It is showcased in a theatrical manner wherein one will see the bronze portrait by Ramkinkar Baij in conversation with portraits by Sarbari Roy Chowdhury, Latika Katt, C. Dakshinamurthy, Himmat Shah, B. Srinivas Reddy , D.L.N Reddy, to name a few.
The exhibition also showcases individualistic works of art by Biman Das, K.S Radhakrishnan, Amitava Bhowmick, Hemi Bawa, Soma Chakraborthy, Paritosh Sen, C.S.N Patnaik, Subodh Kerkar, Ashok Gaur, Bipin Bihari Goswami, Jadhan Chandra Sen, M.K Puri, Suzanne Benton, N.S Pradeep Kumar, Akbar Padamsee, Tarak Garai, Babita Chauhan, Shashi Arora, Paban Kumar Dhibar, M. Mack Greene, V. K. Rajan, Pushp Betala, P. R.Daroz, Ajit Khakravarti and Rajesh Kumar Sharma.
“The art of sculpture has been prevalent in India and across the world from centuries in continuity. The various phases of this form of creative expression has seen its renditions in stone, wood, metal and in the contemporary times various experimental mediums have also taken centre stage. The art of modern portraiture in sculpture can be seen majorly from the colonial times, but with this exhibition a focus is drawn on the individualistic creativity of the artists rather than a particular academic style. I am extremely happy to announce that a sculptural exhibition titled Chehre has been curated in- house at NGMA on such a grand scale. With this, I also announce the re- orientation of the gallery with this being the first phase. I look forward to welcome all to witness the rarely seen sculptural treasures of National Gallery of Modern Art. I appreciate the efforts of NGMA, New Delhi team who have handled this task with professionalism and have presented this exhibition as envisaged. I believe that this would generate greater interest among people towards the sculptural legacy of modern masters”, mentions Shri Adwaita Garanayak, Director- General, NGMA.
“I am extremely glad to showcase the rich sculptural legacy of Indian modern art to the viewers with a re- oriented level- 1 of the museum for the first time. We will be showcasing treasures from the reserve in the near future also as a special focus with reorientation of the museum display in a phase wise manner. The artwork of the month has also been added as special feature from this exhibition onwards highlighting a distinctive representation of the work of art titled, Hey Ram. In celebration of 150 years of Mahatma Gandhi, this portrait by Late S. G Shrikhande explores stillness of the moment. Cast in Bronze, the work of art delineate the expressions of Mahatma Gandhi in an expressive manner. With his closed eyes, calmness prevails on his face which stands in communion with the significant representation of three monkeys in a garlanded manner encircling his neck”, mentions Ritu Sharma, Director, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.
The Chief Guest for the occasion Padma Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh congratulated the Director General of National Gallery of Modern Art, Shri Adwaita Garanayak for curating an exhibition dedicated to sculptures and specially portraits.
The Guest of Honour for the occasion Padma Shri Baba Yogendra ji stated that Chehre is a unique exhibition curated by the NGMA which presents works of art from NGMAs rich collection which have rarely been seen in the public domain and it is a major opportunity for the arts community and arts lovers to see the prestigious collection.
The Exhibition will be open for public viewing from 9th October onwards from 11:00 am – 6:30 pm on all working days except for Mondays and National Holidays. Museum entry fee is applicable.
