In the News

Indian contemporary Art at Gothenburg's biggest culture festival

Gothenburg: Emami Chisel Arts and Aakriti Art gallery in Kolkata and Aschan & co, Vasa Konsthal and Gallery Scandinavia in Gothenburg will jointly organize a show of contemporary Indian Art in Sweden from 10th August to 15th September, 2010. This is for the first time that an Indian art exhibition of this magnitude is going to be held in the Gothenburg cultural festival.

About twenty artists from all over India will be participating in this show. The works will range from paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations to videos etc. Some of the participating artists will be Baiju Parthan, Gigi Scaria, Pushpamala N., Mithu Sen, Chhatrapati Dutta, B. M, Kamath, G.R. Iranna, Sunil De, Tushar Joag, Akhil Chandra Das, Pratibha Sing, Surekha, Sekhar Roy, Prabir Gupta, Nantu Behari Das, Kaushik Mukhopadhyay among others. The show will be jointly curetted by Amit Mukhopadhyay and Oscar Aschan.

New Delhi: The 3rd edition of India Art Summit will start from 20 - 23 January 2011 in New Delhi. Launched in 2008, India Art Summit hosts the country's Modern and Contemporary Art Fair, alongside a vibrant four day programme which includes a reputed International Speakers' Forum, Curated Projects, an Education Series and a variety of collateral events.

In 2009, the 2nd edition of India Art Summit™ drew 40,000 visitors; participants included 54 galleries from across India, the Asian region, the Middle East , Europe and the Americas displaying the works of over 500 emerging and established artists from around the world. With 50% of the artworks on display sold (valued at Rs. 26 Crore/ US $5.3 million) and a three-fold growth in terms of scale and participation.

The 3rd edition of India Art Summit™ will represent the best of Indian Modern and Contemporary Art and provide a unique opportunity for international art to be received by a large and discerning art audience. Approximately 75 galleries will participate in the General Exhibition Section and the newly launched Solo Projects Section; exhibiting a range of paintings, sculptures, photography, mix media, prints, installations, drawings, video art and performances.

Indian investor buys Italian Artist's lifetime rights

London: Americo Montanari, an Italian artist who has lived in seclusion for the past 18 years found new life when Arun Rangachari, chairman of venture capital firm DAR Capital, bought lifetime rights of his works with the intention of setting up an art fund in the future. This is Rangachari's first art investment which consists of 40 paintings by the Italian artist, with the option to buy many more. Montanari, 73, has exhibited his work only once, in Milan in the early 1980s. He then became a recluse, spending his days painting in a villa in Biella in the Piedmont region. He left his home only six times in 18 years, relying on his wife for food and other necessities. Rangachari said he intends to build Montanari's reputation before attempting to sell any of his work. The artist's paintings are now being catalogued and there are plans for a foundation devoted to the artist which will be built on a property in front of the villa where Montanari lived for 18 years. This will include 3,000 sq. ft of display space for the artist's work. Rangachari is also planning to stage an exhibition of paintings by Montanari in London later this year. Three international exhibitions will follow in 2011.

Saatchi Gallery gifted to Nation

London: Charles Saatchi is gifting over 200 works, and the Saatchi Gallery, to create a Museum of Contemporary Art for London, with a powerful permanent collection. The artworks included are worth more than £25 million at current market value, and the Saatchi Gallery, now located in Chelsea, is one of the largest in the world, providing a 70,000 sq ft showcase for art. The gift will ensure that the Saatchi Gallery, which is planning to change its name to MOCA London [Museum Of Contemporary Art, London] when Saatchi retires, will have a strong, rotating permanent collection of major installations.

Included will be many well-known key works by Tracey Emin, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Grayson Perry, as well as a roster of other UK and international artists. The works will be donated to a foundation, MOCA London, and the Saatchi Gallery is currently in discussion with potential Government departments who would own the works on behalf of the nation. The Museum will be free to display the works at all times, but when not being exhibited, the Government body may lend the works to other institutions.

Cadogan Estate, owner of Duke of York Square where the Saatchi Gallery is based, has stated its hope that the Museum will remain at the Duke of York's HQ for the foreseeable future. Saatchi's view is that it is vital for the Museum always to be able to display a “living” and evolving collection of work, rather than an archive of art history. Alongside the permanent collection the gift will therefore include many works which the management of the Museum may trade, using the revenues to acquire new works. The new acquisitions will all be added to the foundation's holdings. This will enable the Museum to remain actively involved in the newest developments in contemporary art, and continue the same policy established by the Saatchi Gallery since it began presenting public exhibitions 25 years ago.

Important Roman Sculpture Joins Collection of
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

New York: An ancient Roman group statue of great importance and beautya depiction of the Three Graces of Greek mythologyhas been acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced Thomas P. Campbell, the Museum's Director. The marble sculpture is a second-century A.D. Roman copy of a Greek work from the second century B.C. Discovered in Rome in 1892, the statue has been on loan to the Museum from a private collector since 1992, and has been on view in the center of the Leon Levy and Shelby White Sculpture Court since it opened in 2007.

In making the announcement, Mr. Campbell commented on the history of the composition: "The charming dance-like pose of the Three Graceswho stand in alternating front and back view, with their hands on each other's shouldersis one of the most famous and enduring compositions known from antiquity. It was first developed in the second century B.C., continued in popularity in the Renaissance, and has been influential during every subsequent period of Western European art. Thanks to the generous support of several Trustees and other good friends of the institution, we are delighted to announce the addition of this superb, extremely well-preserved, and beautifully carved work to the Met's encyclopedic collection, where it will continue to delight and inspire future generations."

The Three Graces are Aglaia (Beauty), Euphrosyne (Mirth), and Thalia (Abundance). They bestow what is most pleasurable and beneficent in nature and society. In mythology, they play an attendant role; their closest connection is with Aphrodite, whom they serve as handmaidens. For ancient authors, the triad also served as an allegory for the cycle of giving, accepting, and returning favors, which were described by the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca as the "chief bond of human society."

After its discovery in Rome in 1892 near the ancient Forum of Nerva and Vespasian's Temple of Peace, this sculpture entered the collection of Joachim Ferroni and has since attracted much scholarly attention.

The sculpture is on view in the center of the Leon Levy and Shelby White Court, where it is displayed with other Roman sculptures derived from Classical and Hellenistic models.

Ramlal Dhar (1953- 2010)

Kolkata: Renowned artist Ramlal Dhar, passed away around midnight on 14th July, 2010. He is survived by his wife Sohini Dhar. Being an artist of good repute, the art fraternity of Kolkata paid their last tribute to Mr. Dhar where Samir Aich, Tapas Konar, Manoj Sarkar, Dipali Bhattacharya, teachers and student the Government Art College and others were present.

Dhar, an art graduate from Govt. College of Craft, followed by Ecole Nationale des Arts Decoratifs de Nice. He has held solo exhibitions and participated group shows in almost all major cities of India and abroad. He has been awarded by the Oriental Society of Art, Kolkata in 1977, Govt. College of Art & Craft from 1971 to 1974 as well as The Lions Club, France.