This is an archive article published on August 4, 2020

‘He thought of all the arts as related’

A pivotal builder of modern Indian culture, Ebrahim Alkazi nurtured young artists and straddled multiple media from visual arts to photography

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 4, 2020 08:43 PM IST

Ebrahim Alkazi, the demise of Ebrahim Alkazi, the legacy of Ebrahim Alkazi, Amal Allana, Indian Express, Indian Express news

Credited for revolutionizing theatre in India, Ebrahim Alkazi was also the doyen of Indian art who helped bring modernism in post-colonial India.

Artist Arpita Singh vividly recalls when she first met Roshen and Ebrahim Alkazi in the early ’70s, after the couple saw one of her paintings and expressed interest in her work. “No one really bought art back then but when they showed such keen interest in my work, it was extremely encouraging,” says Singh. The Alkazis hosted her first solo in 1972 at Kunika Chemould Gallery in Delhi and remained patrons of Singh’s work.

Credited for revolutionizing theatre in India, Ebrahim Alkazi was also the doyen of Indian art who helped bring modernism in post-colonial India, and was one of the first supporters of several Indian artists such as Nasreen Mohamedi, A Ramachandran, Sudhir Patwardhan and Bharti Kher. Close to members of the Progressive Artists’ Group such as FN Souza, Akbar Padamsee and MF Husain – some of who painted and designed sets for his plays – it was theatre as well as art that had taken him to London in the late ’40s. Straddling the two worlds till then, in the Mumbai of the ’40s a young Alkazi would both take the stage as part of Sultan ‘Bobby’ Padamsee’s Theatre Group company, and also paint his ongoing preoccupations with Shakespeare and engagement with questions of primitivism and myth on his canvases. He had invited poet Nissim Ezekiel and Souza to join him in London to “invite modernism together and see great works of art”, and as the legend goes he saw a poster of “admissions open” outside the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and was immediately enrolled after an interview.

Alkazi’s ‘Head’. (Picture courtesy: Art Heritage Gallery)

Back in India, theatre might have taken precedence but art was not neglected either. In the early ’50s, Alkazi curated a series of exhibitions titled “This is Modern Art” at Bombay’s Jehangir Art Gallery. Last year, Alkazi’s daughter, theatre person Amal Allana also presented an exhibition of Alkazi’s own works, from 1948 to 1971. “He thought of all the arts as related, that’s how he even taught theatre. If you wanted to do theatre, you had to know the arts. You had to be visually strong,” Allana had stated. Curated by Ranjit Hoskote, the exhibition titled “Opening Lines” shared how the visionary was experimenting intensely with multiple mediums, from poster paint to watercolour and carbon tracing, among others, and was also engaging with diverse genres, from the figure of Christ to landscapes and nude torsos.

Alkazi’s, ‘A Blind King’. (Picture courtesy: Art Heritage Gallery)

When Alkazi set up Art Heritage in Delhi in 1977 with wife Roshen, the market for art was virtually non-existent but the gallery nurtured young artists and documented their work. “They would make sure that the work was only bought by genuinely interested collectors,” recalls Singh. Speaking about his contributions, Hoskote adds, “How can one hope to summarise Ebrahim Alkazi’s colossal achievement and contribution across several fields of creative endeavour, in a few brief words? Alkazi was a polymath who straddled the visual arts, theatre, photography, and the world of the gallery, the archive, and publishing. He combined the boldness of the visionary with the meticulousness of the system-builder. Alkazi was a seminal and pivotal builder of modern Indian culture, and we will miss him even as we celebrate his legacy.”

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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