| AVINASH CHANDRA A RETROSPECTIVE 2 - 18 NOVEMBER 2006 Private view on Wednesday 1 November 2006, 6-8pm at Osborne Samuel, 23a Bruton Street, London W1J 6QG RSVP Natalie Davies at the gallery or email ndavies@osbornesamuel.com T: 020 7493 7939 F: 020 7493 7798 Web: www.osbornesamuel.com Fully illustrated exhibition catalogue available on request. All works in the exhibition will be online by 1 November, visit: www.bsgart.com |
| Passion Hill, 1964 Watercolour and ink & wash on board. Signed & dated lower left 25 x 152 cm; 10 x 60 in. (W/64/03) |
| The gallery has been showing Indian contemporary art for some years and we are at last recognising one of the greatest of the Indian artists who made their way to London in the last half century. Indeed Avinash Chandra was described in a BBC TV documentary on the artist as a unique talent, making a new leap, revitalizing Indian art and standing for something very important. Chandra made a significant impact on the London art scene when he arrived in 1956. He brought with him the iconography of the Indian townscape, of course principally the roofs and spires of Shimla, his home town. Soon his work underwent a radical change. Liberated by his new surroundings the structures in his painting became more expressive and organic; figures emerged as he began to emphasise the vitality and fecundity of the female form. This was strikingly different to what was happening with Indian art at that time. And for the rest of his life his work is defined by a daring spontaneity and exuberance which characterizes the man and the artist. This exhibition depends entirely on the generous support of Valerie Murray-Chandra who has entrusted her late husband’s estate to us. When we first visited Valerie we had no idea of the scale and complexity of the work that the artist had left behind. This retrospective exhibition is selected from the estate. Further shows will focus on particular periods and aspects of his oeuvre.We are grateful to Dr Rachel Garfield for her essay on the artist, to Natalie Davies at the gallery for her work on the catalogue and on the exhibition, and above all to Valerie Murray-Chandra for her generosity, her trust in us and for allowing us access to the work of this unique and important artist. With very few exceptions these works have not been exhibited before. Most are for sale. Peter Osborne Director Berkeley Square Gallery / Osborne Samuel LLP |
 Stars Above, Stars Below, 1962 Oil on canvas. Signed & dated lower right 203 x 137 cm; 80 x 54 in. (OC/62/01) |
 Church on University Road, Belfast, 1960 Oil on board. Signed & dated lower right 81 x 61cm; 32 x 24 in. (OB/60/02) |
 Meditation, 1986 Oil on canvas. Diptych. Signed & dated lower left 80 x 203 cm; 311/2 x 80 in. (OC/86/01) |
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 Music, 1962 Watercolour & ink on paper. Signed & dated lower left 34 x 62 cm; 131/2 x 241/2 in. (W/62/01) |
 Mind Games, 1962 Watercolour & ink on paper. Signed & dated lower right 34 x 62 cm; 131/2 x 241/2 in. (W/62/02) |
 Moon & Houses, 1960 Oil on canvas. Signed & dated lower right 91.5 x 152.5 cm; 36 x 60 in. (OC/60/01) |
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| For further information please contact Natalie Davies at the gallery, or go to the Berkeley Square Gallery website: www.bsgart.com |