The Masters & The Modern, an ongoing exhibition at Gallery G, is an educative peek into the expansive world of art

A work by Achuthan Kudallur at Gallery G’s Masters & Modern exhibition
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A treasure trove of art is now open at Gallery G where art lovers, students and anyone with a keen sense of aesthetics, can revel in the wondrous creations of some of the best artists our country has produced.

Titled, The Masters & The Modern: An Amalgamation of the Old & New World Classics, the exhibition curated by Archana Shenoy can be considered a sequel of sorts to a show of the same name presented by the gallery in 2021.

“Masters and Modern is a show we conceptualised in 2021, where we displayed some of the greatest masters and most well-known modernists of India such as Raja Ravi Varma, Jamini Roy, Abanindranath Tagore and others. That exhibition was rather well received and we found its title gave us flexibility to work within the art space,” says Archana.

“The purpose of this show is to expose the residents of Bangalore to the work of artists from across India, especially those they might not be too familiar with. While we’ve maintained the original title, the artists on display this time round are completely different,” she says, adding the team chose masters from the Calcutta Artists’ Group, the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group and the Progressive Painter’s Association of Madras.

A work by Badri Narayan at Gallery G’s Masters & Modern exhibition
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“We’ve got artists from all of these spaces and each one is a big name in their own right. For instance, from the Bombay Progressive group we have masters K H Ara and Ram Kumar, as well as those who have followed in their footsteps such as Manu Parekh and A Ramachandran,” she adds.

Artists on display include KG Subramanyan, Badri Barayan, Achuthan Kudallur, Bose Krishnamachari, Prokash Karmakar, FN Souza, Ganesh Pyne and Isha Mahammad among others. The gallery offers curated walk throughs every Saturday that span about an hour during which visitors can learn more about the artists and their style of working.

“Whenever we put together something at the gallery, the intention is never that people should come see, enjoy or buy, but rather that they should learn something new. Some of the works that are in this show are unique in nature,” says Archana, going on to explain how it was a conscious decision on the part of the curatorial team, not to display any of MF Hussain’s works that depicted horses.

A work by MF Hussain at Gallery G’s Masters & Modern exhibition
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“The horse was one of most recognised images in Hussain’s work, but very few people know that he did a lot of architectural drawings as well. On display at Gallery G is an untitled work of Hussain’s dated February 18, 1985, where he has designed an office space in the form of an artwork; it was perhaps a place for himself. Again, not many people knew he used to design and craft furniture for friends.”

Multifaceted artists used to do different things and a lot of these pieces are on display at Masters & Modern, says Archana.

The curatorial team took over six months to put together this exhibition featuring 65 works of art (paintings only, no sculptures) by 22 of the most high-profile artists of the country.

The Masters & The Modern will be on display at Gallery G, Lavelle Road till March 31. Call 70224 43338 to book a slot for a walk through a day in advance.