The exhibition books accompanying the carefully curated, retrospective-scale exhibitions of Dashrath Patel, Jogen Chowdhury and Kartick Chandra Pyne at Emami Art between 2018 and 2020 delve deep into the life and work of the three modern masters. Lavishly illustrated, the books, based on foundational research on the artists, offer a glimpse of the exhibitions, presenting the side of their practice, rarely seen and scarcely explored.
SCHOOL | 11.5 x 8.5 in. | montblanc extra white paper | ISBN: 978-81-952617-5-8 | number of illustrations: 65 | number of pages: 83 | Website: https://www.thegallerystore.in/product-category/catalogues/
The sleek, beautifully designed catalogue accompanying SCHOOL, eastern India's first-ever solo exhibition of Dashrath Patel, captures the creative essence of the veteran artist, designer, pedagogue, photographer and visionary, who shaped the path of Indian modern art in the post-independence era.
“Finally, school is about the best days of your life and those that I spent with him are really the best days of my life,” says Pinakin Patel, the eminent Indian architect who curated the exhibition in collaboration with Dashrath Patel Foundation, Alibagh and Emami Art, Kolkata. Presenting a collection of works from different phases of the artist's career, the exhibition traced the innate coherence within a diverse range of practices. The hardbound catalogue of SCHOOL offers a rich visual study of the exhibited works as each section of the book focuses on single medium that the artist worked in, including paintings, collages, ceramics, ink on paper, and his large body of photographs from the 1930s to 2000s. It is complemented with photographic images of the details from Patel's works, revealing the intensities of brushstrokes, the nuances of the colour palette, and the texture of the material. The curator's note embodies the ethos of visual communication that Patel upheld, breaking away from the conventional format of an essay. An insightful article by Shanay Jhaveri, Assistant Curator, South Asian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, explores the myriad ways of seeing in the artist's photographic practices and, in essence, his entire oeuvre. It was no one other than his friend, Henri Cartier Bresson, who encouraged Patel to enter the world of Photography. Apart from being a prolific artist and designer, Patel was the founding secretary of the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, currently the world’s longest surviving design school. During his 19-year tenure at NID, he held multiple positions. In addition, he envisioned numerous India pavilions for the international platforms, playing a crucial role in the way Indian Modern Art was represented to the global audience.
“Even though each medium and its imagery were perfectly evolved, he resisted the need to formalise that particular body of work as ‘his style’, and risk being typecast or iconified. His work was his ‘search’ and he actively followed that ideology" - Outlook Traveler
Reverie and Reality | 12x8.5 in. | montblanc extra white paper | ISBN: 978-81-952617-6-5 | number of illustrations:252 | Number of Pages: 215 | Website: https://www.thegallerystore.in/product-category/catalogues
With a large collection of photographic reproductions of artworks, archival images, reflective essays, and artist’s interview, the boxed, hardcover catalogue of Reverie and Reality captures the essence of Jogen Chowdhury’s immersive, retrospective-scale exhibition at Emami Art, curated by Ranjit Hoskote.
“While I sit to work, I continue to think about art and the problems of art in our society, regarding various issues related to creativity and my personal involvement in the art of painting. Whenever an idea or thought came to my subconscious mind I instantly put it down on the back pages of my preparatory sketch book.” writes Jogen Chowdhury in one of the essays in the book. Flipping through a few more pages, one can find many such thoughts and ideas scribbled in his note and sketchbooks, and diaries. One of the book’s chapters focus on quotes from his diaries at different points of time, while the others on the posters designed by the artist, rare archival photographs, and interviews that promise an insight into the formation and imagination of the artist. These accompany the high-quality art plates and insightful curatorial essay by Ranjit Hoskote that enable the reader to follow the versatile artist through the paths and detours of his creative life.
One of the most significant artists in the history of post-independence modern and contemporary Indian art, Jogen Chowdhury, was born in Faridpur in undivided India. After completing his studies at Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, on a French Government scholarship, Chowdhury returned to India, and gradually developed his unique style of painting.
“Comprising over 150 artworks, Reverie and Reality, an exhibition of Jogen Chowdhury’s works, seeks to contextualize the diverse oeuvres that has been explored by the veteran artist.” - The Telegraph
The (in)Visible and the (un)Revealed: Inside the Secret Worlds of Kartick Chandra Pyne | 11.5 x 8.5 in. | montblanc extra white paper | ISBN: 978-81-952617-4-1 | number of illustrations: 135 | number of pages: 107 | Website: https://www.thegallerystore.in/product-category/catalogues
Created to accompany The (in)Visible and the (un)Revealed: Inside the Secret Worlds of Kartick Chandra Pyne, a survey exhibition of the artist at Emami Art, Kolkata, the exhibition book offers an insight into the life and work of the great but not-so-widely-known artist who gained his due recognition posthumously.
The book’s very first blank page – warm and blue – subdues the vibrant Matissian red and thick, restless brushstrokes on its cover. It is a prelude to the exuberance of rich and rarely shown images that follows. Punctuated by quotes of the artist and essays by noted writers, such as Pranabranjan Ray, Samit Das and Nanak Ganguly, who knew the artist well, the book offers a glimpse of the exhibition presented by Emami Art, Kolkata, celebrating the long, and profound creative life of the artist on his ninetieth birth anniversary. "Shri Kartick Chandra Pyne (1931-2017) was an amazing artist belonging to the previous generation who received very little exposure and due recognition. However, he was the first Indian artist who could be considered to be the pioneer of "Surrealism" in contemporary Indian art.", recollects Jogen Chowdhury in the book. The letters to the artist, rare catalogues of his early exhibitions, published reviews and archival objects and documents from the personal collection of the artist’s son, Apan Pyne, supplement the detailed biographical timeline provided in the monograph, introducing the reader to his ‘secret worlds' where dreams blend with reality; agony with ecstasy. Self-confident about his unique and highly original style, the introvert artist once remarked: "When I was young I too dreamt of going abroad, Paris or Rome, to see the work of the great masters. Now, I don't have the desire anymore. If I go abroad now, I will get confused and everything will be messed up. I am doing my best work presently; people will recognize it in the future."
“It is heartening to see Kolkata leading from the front to give the artist, who died in 2017, his due through 'The (In)Visible & The (Un)Revealed: Inside the Secret Worlds of Kartick Chandra Pyne”- Architectural Digest
SCHOOL | 11.5 x 8.5 in. | montblanc extra white paper | ISBN: 978-81-952617-5-8 | number of illustrations: 65 | number of pages: 83 | Website: https://www.thegallerystore.in/product-category/catalogues/
The sleek, beautifully designed catalogue accompanying SCHOOL, eastern India's first-ever solo exhibition of Dashrath Patel, captures the creative essence of the veteran artist, designer, pedagogue, photographer and visionary, who shaped the path of Indian modern art in the post-independence era.
“Finally, school is about the best days of your life and those that I spent with him are really the best days of my life,” says Pinakin Patel, the eminent Indian architect who curated the exhibition in collaboration with Dashrath Patel Foundation, Alibagh and Emami Art, Kolkata. Presenting a collection of works from different phases of the artist's career, the exhibition traced the innate coherence within a diverse range of practices. The hardbound catalogue of SCHOOL offers a rich visual study of the exhibited works as each section of the book focuses on single medium that the artist worked in, including paintings, collages, ceramics, ink on paper, and his large body of photographs from the 1930s to 2000s. It is complemented with photographic images of the details from Patel's works, revealing the intensities of brushstrokes, the nuances of the colour palette, and the texture of the material. The curator's note embodies the ethos of visual communication that Patel upheld, breaking away from the conventional format of an essay. An insightful article by Shanay Jhaveri, Assistant Curator, South Asian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, explores the myriad ways of seeing in the artist's photographic practices and, in essence, his entire oeuvre. It was no one other than his friend, Henri Cartier Bresson, who encouraged Patel to enter the world of Photography. Apart from being a prolific artist and designer, Patel was the founding secretary of the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, currently the world’s longest surviving design school. During his 19-year tenure at NID, he held multiple positions. In addition, he envisioned numerous India pavilions for the international platforms, playing a crucial role in the way Indian Modern Art was represented to the global audience.
“Even though each medium and its imagery were perfectly evolved, he resisted the need to formalise that particular body of work as ‘his style’, and risk being typecast or iconified. His work was his ‘search’ and he actively followed that ideology" - Outlook Traveler
Reverie and Reality | 12x8.5 in. | montblanc extra white paper | ISBN: 978-81-952617-6-5 | number of illustrations:252 | Number of Pages: 215 | Website: https://www.thegallerystore.in/product-category/catalogues
With a large collection of photographic reproductions of artworks, archival images, reflective essays, and artist’s interview, the boxed, hardcover catalogue of Reverie and Reality captures the essence of Jogen Chowdhury’s immersive, retrospective-scale exhibition at Emami Art, curated by Ranjit Hoskote.
“While I sit to work, I continue to think about art and the problems of art in our society, regarding various issues related to creativity and my personal involvement in the art of painting. Whenever an idea or thought came to my subconscious mind I instantly put it down on the back pages of my preparatory sketch book.” writes Jogen Chowdhury in one of the essays in the book. Flipping through a few more pages, one can find many such thoughts and ideas scribbled in his note and sketchbooks, and diaries. One of the book’s chapters focus on quotes from his diaries at different points of time, while the others on the posters designed by the artist, rare archival photographs, and interviews that promise an insight into the formation and imagination of the artist. These accompany the high-quality art plates and insightful curatorial essay by Ranjit Hoskote that enable the reader to follow the versatile artist through the paths and detours of his creative life.
One of the most significant artists in the history of post-independence modern and contemporary Indian art, Jogen Chowdhury, was born in Faridpur in undivided India. After completing his studies at Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, on a French Government scholarship, Chowdhury returned to India, and gradually developed his unique style of painting.
“Comprising over 150 artworks, Reverie and Reality, an exhibition of Jogen Chowdhury’s works, seeks to contextualize the diverse oeuvres that has been explored by the veteran artist.” - The Telegraph
The (in)Visible and the (un)Revealed: Inside the Secret Worlds of Kartick Chandra Pyne | 11.5 x 8.5 in. | montblanc extra white paper | ISBN: 978-81-952617-4-1 | number of illustrations: 135 | number of pages: 107 | Website: https://www.thegallerystore.in/product-category/catalogues
Created to accompany The (in)Visible and the (un)Revealed: Inside the Secret Worlds of Kartick Chandra Pyne, a survey exhibition of the artist at Emami Art, Kolkata, the exhibition book offers an insight into the life and work of the great but not-so-widely-known artist who gained his due recognition posthumously.
The book’s very first blank page – warm and blue – subdues the vibrant Matissian red and thick, restless brushstrokes on its cover. It is a prelude to the exuberance of rich and rarely shown images that follows. Punctuated by quotes of the artist and essays by noted writers, such as Pranabranjan Ray, Samit Das and Nanak Ganguly, who knew the artist well, the book offers a glimpse of the exhibition presented by Emami Art, Kolkata, celebrating the long, and profound creative life of the artist on his ninetieth birth anniversary. "Shri Kartick Chandra Pyne (1931-2017) was an amazing artist belonging to the previous generation who received very little exposure and due recognition. However, he was the first Indian artist who could be considered to be the pioneer of "Surrealism" in contemporary Indian art.", recollects Jogen Chowdhury in the book. The letters to the artist, rare catalogues of his early exhibitions, published reviews and archival objects and documents from the personal collection of the artist’s son, Apan Pyne, supplement the detailed biographical timeline provided in the monograph, introducing the reader to his ‘secret worlds' where dreams blend with reality; agony with ecstasy. Self-confident about his unique and highly original style, the introvert artist once remarked: "When I was young I too dreamt of going abroad, Paris or Rome, to see the work of the great masters. Now, I don't have the desire anymore. If I go abroad now, I will get confused and everything will be messed up. I am doing my best work presently; people will recognize it in the future."
“It is heartening to see Kolkata leading from the front to give the artist, who died in 2017, his due through 'The (In)Visible & The (Un)Revealed: Inside the Secret Worlds of Kartick Chandra Pyne”- Architectural Digest