VARIOUS ARTISTS | Graphic Workshop 1973

The current owner was travelling in India with Huub Kuijpers - a PhD scholar, businessman and collector who developed close friendships with many of the artists practising in India in the 1970s. Chandralekha, a famous Indian dancer and choreographer, introduced Mr. Kuijpers and the owner to Bhupen Khakhar and Vivan Sundaram at The Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in 1974 where this suite of prints was acquired.

L. N. Reddy, Lonely Butterfly, 1973 illustrated in R. Bartholomew et al, Richard Bartholomew: The Art Critic, BART, Noida, 2012, p. 247 (another from the edition)

This suite of prints includes a cover page and a cloth bound porfolio that has wear throughout and water damage to the lower edge.The paper on which the prints have been executed have yellowed and most of the prints have sporadic minor spots of foxing due to age. Light undulations and creasing are present across the surface of the prints, particularly around the edges. Bhupen Khakhar - On this print, minor spots of foxing and staining are more prominent, and the discolouration is most apparent around the edges. Nilima Sheikh - A small circular stain is present in the upper left corner, not visible when mounted. Prayag Jha - Light stains are visible along the right edge of the folio. D. Devraj - The creasing to the folio is slightly more prominent along the edges of this print. K. Laxma Goud - On this print, minor spots of foxing and staining are more prominent, and the discolouration is most apparent around the edges. Magan Soma Parmar - Very minor water stains are present along the bottom edge, not visible when mounted. Chanda Joglekar - A small stain is present along the centre left edge and a very minor tear is apparent on the lower right edge, both not visible when mounted. Rajesh Mehra - The creasing is slightly more prominent throughout this print. Please note that the four works exhibited are in temporary Sotheby's exhibition frames which are not included in the purchase.
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The present portfolio of prints is a result of a Graphic Workshop that was organised by Vivan Sundaram at the Graphic Arts Department, Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University of Baroda, 1973. Vivan Sundaram recalls, "I had returned from London in 1971 to Delhi after being a student and an activist in the May 1968 movement, where I had worked in a silkscreen workshop making political posters as well as fly posting them. In Delhi, I helped students in JNU make posters.

A flash back. I received a pdf of the 'The White Review' which I had not heard of. I was taken aback to see a long article on the American Pop silk screen artist, nun Sister Coreta. A Fulbright Scholar Demi Hunt, a follower of hers, while at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda, convinced the graphic department to start a silkscreen workshop in 1964. 

In 1973 I moved to Baroda and proposed to the same Graphic Department to give over the studio for five weeks. Readily, two of my teachers, K. G. Subramanyan and Jyoti Bhatt participated. But the very special presence of Somnath Hore, who I had just met in Santiniketan, agreed to come all the way at his expense. He took a liking to me for my communist sympathies as well as the series I had just done on based on Pablo Neruda's poem 'The Heights of Macchu Picchu'. Manu and Madhvi Parekh also came from Calcutta at their own expense. Laxma Goud  already an accomplished graphic artist, came from Hyderabad.  From Baroda, colleagues as Gulam Mohammed Sheikh and Bhupen Khakhar. Rajesh Mehra, one of the artists from Group 1890  brought along a young artist, who he said had worked in a silkscreen workshop  in London from 1964 to 71. We could not include him as we already had a large number. His name was Manjit Bawa."

                                                                     - Vivan Sundaram, 9 September 2018