3 hrs ago
Delhi Exhibition Brings Together India’s Many Modernisms
A gallery in Delhi is showing paintings by many important Indian artists.
The exhibition is called “Many Modernisms: Figuring the New Artistic India.”
It includes artists such as Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil and Haku Shah.
Their paintings look very different from one another.
Some artists used ideas from folk art, while others painted people and places or explored abstract shapes.
Some works also explore spiritual ideas.
The exhibition shows how art developed in different cities and regions.
It is open until 15 October 2026.
Thapar Gallery’s “Many Modernisms: Figuring the New Artistic India” is on view until 15 October 2026.
The exhibition features Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, Haku Shah, MF Husain, FN Souza, Sadanand Bakre, Sohan Qadri, B Prabha and others.
Works span folk and indigenous traditions, figuration, abstraction and spiritual themes.
The show traces distinct artistic currents in Santiniketan, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi.
Gallery director Ashish Thapar says the exhibition brings together diverse approaches that developed rapidly in post-Independence India.
- Who
- Thapar Gallery and its director, Ashish Thapar, are presenting works by Indian artists including Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, Haku Shah, MF Husain and others.
- What
- An exhibition titled “Many Modernisms: Figuring the New Artistic India” brings together varied approaches to modern Indian art.
- Where
- Thapar Gallery, New Delhi.
- When
- The exhibition is on view until 15 October 2026.
- Why
- The exhibition aims to bring together the diverse artistic styles, ideas and regional strands that shaped modern Indian art.
Distinct artistic approaches
Shared exhibition context
Tradition and international influence
Distinct artistic approaches
Some artists, including Jamini Roy and artists associated with Santiniketan, drew on folk, indigenous and Indian traditions.
Shared exhibition context
The Progressive Artists’ Group engaged with international ideas about modernism while developing its own artistic language.
Figuration and abstraction
Distinct artistic approaches
Some artists represented people, rural life and recognizable subjects.
Shared exhibition context
Others explored abstraction, including Sohan Qadri’s use of colour, form and repetition.
Key facts
- Exhibition
- Many Modernisms: Figuring the New Artistic India
- Venue
- Thapar Gallery, New Delhi
- Closing date
- 15 October 2026
- Gallery director
- Ashish Thapar
- Artists mentioned
- Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, KK Hebbar, MF Husain, FN Souza, Sadanand Bakre, Sohan Qadri, B Prabha and Haku Shah
- Artistic approaches
- Folk and indigenous traditions, figuration, abstraction and spiritual themes
- Regional currents discussed
- Santiniketan, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi
Quotes
Ashish Thapar
Director of Thapar Gallery and curator of the exhibition
“That’s why there were so many different, diverse things happening.”
theprint.in
“Only a master can do it.”
theprint.in
Sources
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