Peter Nagy was clear about his gallery not closing the day he would depart for heavenly abode. Honouring his request, the Nature Morte galleries in Delhi and Mumbai stayed open, after sharing the news on Tuesday about its founder having “passed away after a long illness”.
Aged 67, artist-gallerist-curator Nagy was born in Connecticut, USA. He first co-founded this gallery with artist Alan Blecher in New York City’s East Village in 1982, before moving to India in 1992 and reopening it in the Capital in 1997. In 2024, the gallery also opened in Mumbai, and recently got a new spot in Delhi’s Gulmohar Park after spending years in Neeti Bagh that was followed by a short stint in Chattarpur’s Dhan Mill. That August Saturday evening, when the gallery found its footing in its present hood, Nagy donned a satiated smile and in attendance of his friends, art lovers called the relocation a “homecoming” of sorts.
Always dressed immaculately, he witnessed and propelled the rise of contemporary art in India. Many remember Nagy’s pointed yet pivotal replies shared with only those who had an eye for art and nose for its knowledge. Among the many artists whose works he was well-known for representing is Bharti Kher. Feeling “bereft” of her “dearest friend for 30 years”, Kher tells us, “Peter was a visionary for the arts in India. When he arrived as a gallerist, he was the catalyst Indian art desperately needed to push forward. He had the eyes of a seer and a sharp intelligence to carry him through the years of work that he put into his gallery. Everything he did was because he loved art and artists, but he also loved India. It was his spiritual home.”
{{/usCountry}}Always dressed immaculately, he witnessed and propelled the rise of contemporary art in India. Many remember Nagy’s pointed yet pivotal replies shared with only those who had an eye for art and nose for its knowledge. Among the many artists whose works he was well-known for representing is Bharti Kher. Feeling “bereft” of her “dearest friend for 30 years”, Kher tells us, “Peter was a visionary for the arts in India. When he arrived as a gallerist, he was the catalyst Indian art desperately needed to push forward. He had the eyes of a seer and a sharp intelligence to carry him through the years of work that he put into his gallery. Everything he did was because he loved art and artists, but he also loved India. It was his spiritual home.”
{{/usCountry}}Like Kher, and her husband, artist Subodh Gupta, several others have had an outpouring of heartfelt anecdotes of having worked with the creative genius. Among these is artist Mithu Sen, who recalls, “I first met Peter in 2002. He came to see my husband, artist Samit Das’ work in our barsati. He found on my desk, a set of works with hair embroidered on silk and asked if he can take them with him. That time no gallery was looking at my work because hair as medium was impulsive. But Peter loved them, and put my works on his next group show… Then in 2002, after seeing my work in a group show at the India Habitat Centre, he came to me and asked in his naughty voice, ‘Who is your model?’”
Here's resting the pen for this personality who became a role model for many in the art fraternity.
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