A Woman to Know: Amrita Sher-Gil
Europe belongs to Picasso, Matisse and many others. India belongs only to me. — Amrita
(image via Wikimedia Commons)
They called her "India's Frida Kahlo."
The comparison is apt, to a point. Throughout the 1930s, Amrita was building a body of work that would soon make her the most expensive painter India has ever known. Like Frida, her paintings explore self-portraiture, rich colors and political subjects. Today, her self-portraits are auctioned for millions of dollars.
My favorites are her "Girls" series. "Three Girls" depicts a trio of Indian women clustered close together, gazing at some undetermined fate off-frame. "Young Girls," considered her first "major" work, scored her an invitation to the Grand Salon in Paris in 1933. She was the youngest member ever admitted; and the first Asian artist invited to join.
Add to your library list:
Amrita Sher-Gil: Art and Life (Yashodhara Dalmia)
Read more:
The Indian Frida Kahlo (The Telegraph)
Strokes of Genius (The Hindu)
Amrita Sher-Gil continues to shine in auctions of Indian art (The Wire)
Amrita Sher-Gil honored in Google Doodle (The Huffington Post)
The female pioneer of Indian modern art (The Culture Trip)
Undiscovered Amrita Sher-Gil self-portrait and rare emerald bangles up for auction (Forbes)
The princess who died unknown (Spectrum)
See more:
Virtual Galleries: Amrita Sher-Gil (The National Gallery of Art in New Delhi)
Amrita Sher-Gil: Room 1, Early Years in Paris (Tate Modern)
The self in making: Amrita Sher-Gil (Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
Amrita Sher-Gil: Revolution, Personified (Christie's)
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