Rare View

A haunting image of old deserted bungalows,their open windows staring out like vacant eyes at the viewer,is among the first things that one will notice at the Delhi Art Gallery (DAG) in Hauz Khas. The iridescent oil is applied with thick strokes on the canvas and it still glows 36 years after the late Bikash Bhattacharjee painted it. This is one of the many treats on offer at DAG ‘Manifestations V’,an exhibition of 75 works by significant Indian artists of the 20th Century.

A large Jamini Roy work,in tempera,is another eye-catcher. That this work is a national art treasure and cannot be resold or exported makes it all the more coveted. Jogen Chowdhury’s stunning 1990s pen-and-ink captures a heavy,dark atmosphere between an estranged couple in the artist’s imitable cross-hatch style. The exhibition does not have a theme and Ashish Anand,owner of DAG,who is presenting an “edited slice from his vast collection”,says,“What is exciting about doing a show like this is that it gives one the freedom to select artwork without constraints of chronology,style or subject.” The works on display are meant to represent the zenith of an artist’s career.

Also part of the exhibition are a magnificent Biren De,painted in 1974,and a 1990s Rekha Rodwittiyas,both are rare since De does not paint anymore and Rodwittiya has changed her style since.

The exhibition is on at Delhi Art Gallery,Hauz Khas,till June 18. Contact: 011-46005300