50 YEARS OF BAL CHHABDA
Kent Charugundla and the TamarindArt Gallery celebrated 50 Years of Bal Chhabda this summer in New York, from May 4th to June 24th:
Bal Chhabda studies a recent canvas, a medium sized white field of activity where abstraction, gestural elements and a couple of half realized images exchange places. Late afternoon light streams through the west facing glass frontage of his 7th floor studio, as we sit on angular, cubist furniture – surprisingly comfortable – designed by his good friend and eminent artist M.F. Husain. The self-taught eighty-plus year-old Mumbai based artist, famously averse to both the market and publicity, has agreed to show his work in New York City. The exhibition titled: “50 Years of Bal Chhabda: Paintings in New York,” will run through May-June 2006. The sweep of Chhabda’s art reaches across 50 years of Indian modernism, embodying a generation of Abstract Expressionist aspirations. This will be his 
third solo show, the other two being a large exhibition in 1985, at the Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, and a retrospective in 2003, at the same venue. Chhabda has participated in various major art events in India and abroad, including the first three Indian Triennales, the Commonwealth Art Exhibition, London, the inaugural exhibition of the Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the Festival of India, London and Japan, the inaugural exhibition of Modern Indian Paintings, Bhopal, the eleventh Triennale, Menton, France, and the inaugural exhibition of the National Gallery of Modern art, Mumbai, among others. He has been a recipient of several awards such as the Tokyo Governor’s Award at the Tokyo Biennale in 1961 and the Lalit Kala Akademi Awards at the National Exhibition of Art, New Delhi in 1965 and 1966; he was also awarded the Rockefeller Fellowship in 1972.
“It is an absolute pleasure and honor to host “50 years of Bal Chhabda: Paintings in New York,” at TamarindArt. Chhabda, the quintessential figure of the Progressive Artists Group, needs no introduction to art lovers, connoisseurs, and art critics. For the first time I was able to see a large body of works by the artist. I couldn’t believe that here I was standing in front of these paintings that perhaps has only been seen by his family and closest of his friends. After many cups of chai at Chhabda’s studio we decided to bring this brilliant body of work to the New York audience. This is perhaps the last time one will be able to view such an oeuvre of the artist’s work under one roof. It is an honor to present Bal Chhabda to you.”
Bal Chhabda studies a recent canvas, a medium sized white field of activity where abstraction, gestural elements and a couple of half realized images exchange places. Late afternoon light streams through the west facing glass frontage of his 7th floor studio, as we sit on angular, cubist furniture – surprisingly comfortable – designed by his good friend and eminent artist M.F. Husain. The self-taught eighty-plus year-old Mumbai based artist, famously averse to both the market and publicity, has agreed to show his work in New York City. The exhibition titled: “50 Years of Bal Chhabda: Paintings in New York,” will run through May-June 2006. The sweep of Chhabda’s art reaches across 50 years of Indian modernism, embodying a generation of Abstract Expressionist aspirations. This will be his third solo show, the other two being a large exhibition in 1985, at the Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, and a retrospective in 2003, at the same venue. Chhabda has participated in various major art events in India and abroad, including the first three Indian Triennales, the Commonwealth Art Exhibition, London, the inaugural exhibition of the Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the Festival of India, London and Japan, the inaugural exhibition of Modern Indian Paintings, Bhopal, the eleventh Triennale, Menton, France, and the inaugural exhibition of the National Gallery of Modern art, Mumbai, among others. He has been a recipient of several awards such as the Tokyo Governor’s Award at the Tokyo Biennale in 1961 and the Lalit Kala Akademi Awards at the National Exhibition of Art, New Delhi in 1965 and 1966; he was also awarded the Rockefeller Fellowship in 1972.“It is an absolute pleasure and honor to host “50 years of Bal Chhabda: Paintings in New York,” at TamarindArt. Chhabda, the quintessential figure of the Progressive Artists Group, needs no introduction to art lovers, connoisseurs, and art critics. For the first time I was able to see a large body of works by the artist. I couldn’t believe that here I was standing in front of these paintings that perhaps has only been seen by his family and closest of his friends. After many cups of chai at Chhabda’s studio we decided to bring this brilliant body of work to the New York audience. This is perhaps the last time one will be able to view such an oeuvre of the artist’s work under one roof. It is an honor to present Bal Chhabda to you.”
