Rare Treasures

The sculpture exhibition – Roopantar – at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), showcases rarely seen treasures from the gallery’s reserve collection.

Works of art by Ram Kinkar Baij, Balbir Singh Katt, Dhanraj Bhagat, Nagji Patel, C. Dakshinamoorthy, Rajat Kumar Ghose, Shashi Arora, S.M Shahid Jawed, Panwar Goverdhan Singh, S.G Vidyashanker Satpaty, Shyamlal, S.M.S Jawed, Premalya Singh, Bharat Bhushan, Biman Das, Uttam Pacharne, Ramesh Bishit, Swaroopini Roy Shanti, M.S Rawat, Prithpal Singh Ladi, Mohoni Trikha, Tarak Garai, Krishna Shresta, M. J Emas to name a few are on display.

The exhibition does not take the usual path of a chronological journey. The works emphasize on the great masters and their individualistic approach.

The art of sculpture has been prevalent in India and across the world from centuries in continuity. The various phases of this form of creative expression have seen its renditions in stone, wood, metal and in the contemporary times with mixed media. With this exhibition, the focus is drawn on the individualistic creativity of the artists rather than a particular academic style.

The Horse Head, cast in cement explores the artistic journey of the legendary Ramkinkar Baij. The sculpture titled, Frustation by M. Dharmani engages the gaze of the viewer in a subtle manner. Placed on a high stone pedestal, this work brings forth the complexities of the human mind in a subdued portrayal with the figure engrossed in deep thoughts. It is our deepest pleasure to showcase the sculpture of Balbir Singh Katt titled, Chakra.

Sculpted with a monolithic stone, Seed (pink) by legendary artist Nagji Patel forms a special focus in this exhibition. Engaged in conversation, two female figures cast in bronze by C. Dakshinamoorthy and the work titled, Figure lifting Foot by Leela Mukherjee explores the human body in varied forms. The remarkable representation of Putna Wadh by Ishwar Chandra Gouta defines an individualistic approach by the artist in the medium of terracotta.

“The sculptures represented here is a step further to showcase the hidden treasures of our reserve collection with In- House curated exhibitions. This creative and wonderful journey of representing the treasures has continued with several such exhibitions and Roopantar is one such exhibition, which I believe will take this journey to greater heights,” mentions Shri Adwaita Garanayak, DG, NGMA.

Roopantar explores legendary sculptors with varied subjects. Society and its varied aspects have been carefully curated in this exhibition which have been highlighted in bronze and iron sculpture titled Accursed by Kishore Thakur, Calling for Help by Uttam Pachare, Falling Nightmare Alone by Ratnabali Kant, Trio by Shankar Ghosh, Chasm by Subhashini Puri, Lust by Ramesh Bist to name a few. As a satirical representation, the wooden sculpture titled, Dal Badal by G. S Pawar is also unique in its representation. Dadi Ma ki Kahani by Tutu Patanaik also forms a special focus in the exhibition.