Bhupen Khakhar

1 Work

Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions:

‘A Retrospective’, organized by The Fine Art Resource, Mumbai at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai 2003

Sarjan Art Gallery, Baroda 2003

Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi 2002

'Bhupen Khakhar', Reina Sofia, Madrid; toured to The Lowry, Manchester. 2002

Optica Gallery, Montreal/ Charles H.Scott Gallery, Vancouver 2001-02

The Fine Art Resource, Berlin; The Gate Foundation, Amsterdam 1998

Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi 1997

Kapil Jariwala Gallery, London 1995

Gallery Ka-Eins, Frankfurt 1993

‘The Spirit of India’, Galerie Nouvelles Images, Den Haag 1993

Galerie Schoo, Foundation for Indian Artists, Amsterdam 1992

Gallery Chemould, Mumbai 1991,94

Gallery Watari, Tokyo 1986

Kanoria Centre for Arts/ Hutheesingh Visual Arts Centre, Ahmedabad 1985

Knoedler Gallery, London 1983

Contemporary Art Gallery, Ahmedabad 1983

Urja Art Gallery, Baroda 1983

Anthony Stokes Gallery, London 1979

Hester van Royen Gallery, London 1979

,81 Gallery Chemould, Mumbai 1972

,70 Kunika Chemould Art Centre, New Delhi 1967

Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 1965

Group Exhibitions:

‘Sub Terrain: Artworks in the City Fold’, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin 2003

‘Telling Tales: Narrative Impulses in Recent Art’, Tate Liverpool 2002

‘Century City: Art and Culture in the Modern Metropolis’, Tate Modern, London 2001

‘Abbild: Recent Portraiture and Depiction’, Steirischer Herbst, Graz, Austria 2001

‘A Global View: Indian Artists at Home in the World’, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 2000

‘Private Mythology: Contemporary Art from India’, The Japan Foundation, Tokyo 1998

‘Indian Contemporary Art– Post Independence’, organized by Vadehra Gallery, Delhi, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi 1997

‘Colors of Independence’, organized by Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi 1997

‘Tryst with Destiny’, organized by Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata, Singapore Art Museum 1997

‘Contemporary Art in Asia : Traditions / Tensions’, Asia Society, New York 1996

‘Watercolors: A Broader Spectrum III’, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai 1996

‘100 Years: From the NGMA Collection’, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai 1995

‘The Other Self’, Exhibition of Indian and Dutch Artists, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi / Stedelijk Museum Bureau, Amsterdam (1995-96) 1995

About Bhupen Khakhar

Bhupen Khakhar, arguably one of the most celebrated Indian artists of the 21st century, was born in Bombay in 1934. A qualified chartered accountant, he opted to join the Art Criticism course at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda, where he started

After early experiments with pop art, Khakhar developed a style that combined popular and painterly aesthetics, much of which was infused with his deep knowledge of art from south Asian and European sources. By combining art-historical influences with contemporary narratives, he created a unique style. Indian miniatures, folk art, Kalighat painting, Company painting, temple maps, 14th-century Sienese painting and pop art, all added to his visual language.

Khakhar played a significant role in a new wave of narrative and figurative painting emerging in contemporary Indian art. Despite being a self-taught artist, he became a key figure in international painting and influenced many younger artists. Khakhar's early paintings depicted average people, such as the barber, the watch repairman, and even an assistant accountant with whom he worked. He took special care to reproduce the environments of small Indian shops in these paintings, and revealed a talent for seeing the intriguing within the mundane. Throughout his career, he confronted provocative and personal themes, such as his sexuality and battle with cancer, with humour, honesty and wit. Having come out as a gay and witnessed the development of the gay rights movement in Europe, Bhupen felt encouraged to deal explicitly with homoerotic themes within his work. After his prostate cancer diagnosis, the tone of his work changed, focusing on universal themes of mortality and ageing.

Khakhar was awarded Padma Shri in 1984. He passed away in 2003.

Academics

Master of Arts (Art Criticism), Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda 1964

Bachelor of Commerce, Mumbai University, Qualifies as a Chartered Accountant 1956

Bachelor of Arts, Mumbai University, Mumbai 1954

Awards

Asian Cultural Council Starr Fellowship, New York 1986

Padma Shri, Government of India 1984