| Sudhir Patwardhan considers
himself a painter of people. Born in Pune, Maharashtra
in 1949, he graduated in Medicine from the Armed Forces
Medical College, Pune in 1972. Patwardhan, a practicing
radiologist, runs a clinic in a modest part of Thane
in Mumbai. He held his first solo exhibition of paintings
in Delhi at the famous theatre personality E.Alkazi's
art gallery Art Heritage in 1979. This exhibition was
then held in Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. Since then
he has held more than 15 solo exhibitions in all major
galleries, including Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (1979,1984,
1989, 1994, 1999, 2002), Art Heritage, Delhi (1990),
1994 - Gallery Chemould (1994), Mumbai, Vadehra Art
Gallery, Delhi (1999), Sakshi Gallery, Banglore and
Mumbai (2001, 2002). During the period 1986 to 1989
Sudhir Pathwardhan painted landscapes on the spot in
Thane's Pokharan area. He also held five exhibitions
of these works in the area, in schools, a factory shed
and even by the roadside. The aim was to share his experience
with the people living and working in Pokharan. From
these small works grew a large painting 'Pokharan' painted
in 1992. Patwardhan's urbanism has a stronger moral
edge. Railway and bus commuters, construction labour,
the by now famous solitary man in an Irani restaurant
are his dramatis personae. His narrative has certain
sameness, of the anonymous individual, possibly a lumpenised
migrant, directly confronted by the challenges of the
city. Patwardhan's figures may be mundane but they are
dignified by the effort that they invest in the everyday
acts of survival.
|
His major group exhibitions include
Mumbai Art Society, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (1974,
1975), Mumbai Art Society, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai,
'Place for People' Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai and
Ravindra Bhavan, Delhi (1981), 'Aspects of Modern India
Art', Oxford, UK, 'Contemporary Indian Art', Festival
of India, London, UK, -'Seven Indian Artists', Worpswede,
Hanover, Hamburg, Bayreuth, Braunsweig, Germany (all
1982), Ten Artists, Gallery 7, Mumbai (1984), 'Contemporary
Indian Art', Festival of India, New York, USA (1985),
'Coupe de Coeur' Geneva, Switzerland (1987), 'Gadyaparva
Exhibition' Gallery Chemould, Mumbai (1990), 'Parallel
Perceptions', Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai (1993), 'Contemporary
Indian Painting from the Herwitz Family Collection Part
I, auction by Sotheby's, New York, USA (1995, 96), 'Contemporary
Indian Painters 96' Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 1996),
'Charcoal & Conte' Birla Century Art Gallery, Mumbai
(1997), Icons of the Millennium ( Lakeeren Art Gallery
) , Mumbai, 'Extreme Gourmet' Indigo, Lakeeren, Mumbai
and Century City, Tate Modern, London, UK (2001) His
paintings are in many public and private collections
including The National of Modern Art, New Delhi; Lalit
Kala Academy, New Delhi; Punjab University Museum, Chandigarh;
Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal; Gallery of Contemporary Art,
Kochi; Peabody Essex Museum, Mass. USA. and the Herwitz
Family Collection, USA.
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