The works of some of India's best known artists will be displayed to reflect the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi on 13 December in a charity exhibition and sale in New Delhi to raise money for the Gandhi statue in Parliament Square London.
Twenty-eight artists will share the proceeds of the sale at the event to be held in the British high commissioner’s residence, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Trust said here on Thursday. The statue project is estimated to cost 1 million pounds, some of which has already been raised.
Meghnad Desai, who set up the trust to raise the funds, said: “It is a wonderful gesture on the part of these renowned Indian artists, who are supporting not only the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament Square, but also the work of a fellow artist and sculptor, Philip Jackson, who has created the statue”.
Among the major artists whose work will be displayed include M F Husain, Jogen Chowdhury, Manu Parekh, Raghu Rai, Jatin Das, Haku Shah, Arpana Caur, K S Radhakrishnan, Paresh Maity, Atul Dodiya, Sanjay Bhattacharya, Jagannath Panda, Riyas Komu, and G R Iranna.
The trust said that many of the artists created a painting or a sculpture inspired by the Mahatma for the event being organised by Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi, and curated by Sunaina Anand.
The trust said that many of the artists created a painting or a sculpture inspired by the Mahatma for the event being organised by Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi, and curated by Sunaina Anand.
The paintings will be displayed for sale after the inauguration, and will also be available online for purchase on the websites of the trust and the gallery.
Desai said: “This reaching out between India and UK, through these artists, is only befitting, because Gandhi belongs to the whole world. He spent his early life not only in India, but also in London”.
He added: “Indeed, many of the works in this exhibition and sale reflect the international influence that the Mahatma continues to enjoy...in art, in philosophy, in politics”.