Show and Tell

The art gallery at Delhi’s India Habitat Centre was packed to capacity on Friday night,as the arterati came together for the opening of Anjolie Ela Menon’s solo exhibition and the launch of a book about her,both titled Through the Patina. Dressed in a black and gold sari,a beaming Menon said,“I am so grateful to the team at the Vadehra Art Gallery who worked day and night to source my paintings scattered all over the globe and made this book possible. I think Suhani Singh is the hottest new book designer on the block.” Filmmaker Shyam Benegal launched the book that documents 50 years of Menon’s oeuvre. Artists Ram Kumar and Krishen Khanna were in the audience. Khanna said: “I have known Anjolie for 60 years,even before she became a painter.” Politician Jaya Jaitly made a late entry,while artists Manu and Madhvi Parekh and Jayshree Burman stayed till the end. Guests were torn between listening to the speeches and appreciating the vast body of paintings on display.