Book of the month

We view a landmark publication about Indian art

20th Century Indian Art: Modern, Post-Independence, Contemporary, by Partha Mitter, Parul Dave Mukherji and Rakhee Balaram, is a heavyweight tome with big ambitions.

It is, say its makers, ‘the first to address the entire sweep of Indian art across the subcontinent and South Asia from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day’.

It’s a huge undertaking and a fascinating ride, with the period viewed through the eyes of contemporary Indian and southern Asian art historians and scholars.

Gandhi and Gama, a 2014 triptych by Gulammohammed Sheikh

Early chapters explore Indian artists’ dialogue with modernity in the years 1900–22, from the time of colonial art schools, art collecting in princely states and on, to 1920–47, the era of Bauhaus in India, and then expressionism in contemporary Indian art. It progresses, exploring the postcolonial decades in the visual arts, the art of ideas from 1946–81, and the transformative influence of the cultural politics and globalisation of the 1990s on Indian art.

And it brings the story up to date, exploring the works and thinking behind contemporary art from the subcontinent. We learn of key elements in the over 100-year history. They include the formation of Group 1890, the collective that came together in 1962 to challenge the Indian art world; and Dalit visual art, a category that has emerged from the 1980s onwards, ‘Dalit’ being the term used for the community once referred to by the slur ‘untouchable’.

Horrorificabilitudinitatibus, a 2009 work by Jitish Kallat

Why we love this book

Reading this book heightens our understanding of the interest in Indian art coming from major international arts and academic institutions, as evidenced in acquisitions and exhibitions. It brings us closer, too, to key current Indian artists, critics and curators, through insightful interviews. And its scope includes the modern art of Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Published in association with Art Alive, this book is, like the places it represents, rich in colour, with over 800 illustrations. It would make an important addition to the shelves of any art lover’s library.

Find out more

20th Century Indian Art: Modern, Post-Independence, Contemporary is published by Thames & Hudson in association with Art Alive, £85