Amrita Sher-Gil: A Life - Softcover

Yashodhara, Dalmia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143420267 ISBN 13: 9780143420262

Publisher: India Penguin, 2013

Synopsis

Amrita Sher-Gil s life was as filled with passion and colour as her canvasses. Beautiful and brilliant, she lived life on her own terms, scandalizing the staid society of her times with her love affairs and unconventional ways. Born in 1913 in Budapest, to a Hungarian mother and a Sikh father, Amrita spent her early years in Hungary, India, as well as France, where she studied at the renowned Ecole des Beaux Arts. Before her untimely death in 1941, she left behind a body of work that not only establishes her as one of the foremost artists of the century but also as a most eloquent symbol of fusion between the East and the West. In this fascinating biography, art historian Yashodhara Dalmia charts the course of Amrita s turbulent life, and the development of her dazzling artistic career, as she traces the influences that shaped her, examines her relationships with her family, friends, lovers and mentors, and captures her charismatic aura. Extensively researched and brimming with reminiscences of those who knew Amrita, this is a compelling portrait of the artist who, when she died at the tragically young age of twenty-eight, was probably unaware of her own greatness and of her priceless legacy to Indian art.

Beautiful and brilliant, Amrita Sher-Gil lived life on her own terms, scandalizing the staid society of her times with her love affairs and unconventional ways. In this fascinating biography, art historian Yashodhara Dalmia paints a compelling portrait of the artist who, when she died in 1941 at the age of twenty-eight, left behind a body of work that establishes her as one of the foremost artists of the century and an eloquent symbol of the fusion between the East and the West.

About this title

About the Author

Yashodhara Dalmia is an art historian and independent curator based in New Delhi. Her book The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives is regarded as a definitive account of a seminal phase of Indian art. Among her other publications is Journeys: Four Generations of Indian Artists (2011). She has also written several essays, articles and reviews on contemporary Indian art.

When the National Gallery of Modern Art opened in Mumbai in December 1996, Dalmia curated the inaugural exhibition titled The Moderns, which featured 200 works by twelve greats of modern Indian art, including Francis Newton Souza, M.F. Husain and Tyeb Mehta. In September 2010, Dalmia curated a major show of contemporary Indian artists titled Indian (Sub)Way at the Grosvenor Vadehra gallery in London. In January 2011, she curated the show Tyeb Mehta:Triumph of Vision in Delhi, which consisted of unseen paintings by the artist, including his magnificent last work. Currently she is involved in a project on South Asian art.

Review

Amrita s life was more colourful than the bright colours she used in her paintings-this is a good look at it --Outlook

An important book --India Today

Edition details

• Publisher: India Penguin
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0143420267
• ISBN 13: 9780143420262
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 280