Untitled

Avinash Chandra's (1931-91) signature use of bold color and curvaceous form merges a sophisticated understanding of line with capricious and imaginative compositions. One of the most celebrated Indian modernists during his lifetime, Chandra's art-world accolades began early in his career when he became the first painter to sell a work of art to the then newly-opened Museum of Modern Art, New Delhi. At the precocious age of 21, he was the youngest artist to be granted a solo show by the lauded Bombay Progressives Artists Group and was awarded top prize in the first National Exhibition of Indian Art at the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1955. Graduating from the art department at Delhi Polytechnique in 1952, Chandra felt that the pressure to paint in a "European style" preached by his art school professors, stifled his creativity and he moved to London in 1956 looking for stylistic emancipation. "In those days," said Chandra, "it was never fashionable to indulge in or appreciate Indian Art and perhaps as a result, some Indian painters still bear a grudge because of it. So be it." (Avinash Chandra, Rose Fried Gallery Exh. Cat, New York, Oct 22-Nov 20, 1968)