July 19, 2018: Marking the wave of change after Indian independence, the Asian Society Museum in New York is presenting a landmark exhibition of more than 80 works by members of the Progressive Artists’ Group, which was formed in Bombay in 1947. The group was formed to give impetus to modern art in India, examine the ideology of Progressives and survey the artists from different backgrounds while finding a common cause at that time.
The works in the exhibition are primarily oil paintings from the 1940s-1990s, to call attention to the tremendous work of the artists that represent the visual form of India as a secular, diverse, united and international country, with each artist having their own distinctive style.
The exhibition holds conspicuous works of art by the six core members of the group, K. H. Ara, S. K. Bakre, H. A. Gade, M. F. Husain, S. H. Raza, and F. N. Souza, as well as later members V. S. Gaitonde, Krishen Khanna, Ram Kumar, Tyeb Mehta, Akbar Padamsee, and Mohan Samant. Along with these masterpieces, works from the Asian Society Museum Collection – Rajput miniatures, a sandstone figure, two Chola bronzes, and a Japanese landscape hanging scroll – are included to manifest how the Progressives were inspired by art to create a visual language of new India.
An illustrated catalogue featuring the essays by leading scholars of Indian art and modern history will also be available during the exhibition.
