TIFR to exhibit rare artwork assembled by Homi Bhabha

Express news service

Posted: Apr 22, 2011

The famous, breath-taking Husain mural, "Bharat Bhagya Vidhata". Painted in 1964, the most spectacular work in the most amazing collection...

Mumbai Homi Jehangir Bhabha has always been remembered as one of the founders of modern science in India. But many do not know that he was also an artist in his own right. Not only was he passionate about paintings, music and literature, he is known to have mastered the arts to perfection.

In a fitting tribute to its founder, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is, for the first time, bringing together a rare collection of painting and sculptures, to be exhibited for the wider public. Consisting of over 250 artworks, the collection was assembled by the first two directors of the institute, Bhabha and MGK Menon, between the early 1950s and 1970s. Of this, the exhibition titled ‘Homi Bhabha and modern Indian art: the collection of TIFR’ at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), will showcase over 130 paintings and sculptures.

“It was Bhabha who set the tone for acquisitions, securing a set percentage of the institute’s yearly budget on art. He was a connoisseur of the highest rank. One of his paintings was recently sold at an auction for Rs 14 lakh. The exhibition will showcase the highlights of one of the most important collections of modern Indian art in existence. Though the TIFR art collection has a well-established reputation among the academic community, the works have rarely been viewed by a wider public. It’s only fitting that a substantial part of the collection be showcased,” said Kishore Menon, public relations officer, TIFR.

“The artwork being showcased is one of the finest produced in the post-Independence period and it’s fantastic that Mumbai will get to see one of the country’s greatest collections,” said Mortimer Chatterjee, the curator.

The art collection boasts of some of the largest numbers of work by K H Ara, V S Gaitonde, Krishen Khanna and K K Hebbar. It also includes Tyeb Mehta, Baburao Sadwelkar, Badrinarayan, M F Husain and Jehangir Sabavala. The exhibition at NGMA will be inaugurated on Sunday and will be open to the public Monday onwards.

“TIFR is the only scientific institute in the country which has such a rare art collection. It also highlights Bhabha’s contribution to arts and his attempt at a synthesis of arts and science, which is reflected in his ideas and the institutions he created,” said professor Spenta Wadia, convener of the TIFR endowment fund, who has been overseeing the collection.