Paris: It was Valentine’s Day and the city of romance was abuzz with the charm of love. The same evening, art lovers of the city and some invited guests from across the globe witnessed the grand opening of the biggest painting exhibition of the late Indian artist SH Raza at the Pompidou Museum. The show, organized by Raza Foundation, will continue till May 15, 2023.
The inaugural reception dinner was hosted by Swati Piramal in the presence of both the Indian and French ambassadors. The exhibition is supported by several art collectors and the Piramal Foundation has loaned 35 paintings by Shraja for the show.
Showcasing Raza Saab’s – as the artist is fondly called by his fans – works in chronological order and his artistic development, the show also hosts some rare paintings by the artist.
Mr. Ashok Vajpayee, president of the Raza Foundation and an old friend of Shraja, described it as the biggest exhibition ever by an Indian modern artist. He said, “This is Raza’s biggest exhibition in his artistic life. One hundred and one years of his life and eighty years of creativity. It is very competently and imaginatively curated. There are many such works which people of both India and France would not have seen in public exhibition.
Indian Ambassador to France, Javed Ashraf considered this grand exhibition as a cultural knot between India and France. He said, “It is not just 100 years of his life. India has completed 75 years of independence. It is 25 years of Indo-French strategic partnership and 75 years of Indo-French relationship. He further said, “This is also a celebration of independence from Raza ji’s work. For both the countries, this is the nurturing of the relationship.” The show also saw the presence of acclaimed art enthusiast from India, Kiran Nadar as well as Swati and Ajay Piramal.
The Raza Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to art, culture and ideas founded in 2001 by the late Syed Haider Raza, a widely acknowledged master of modern Indian art.