Arpana Caur
Arpana Caur | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1954 (age 71–72) Delhi, India |
| Known for | Painting |
| Mother | Ajeet Caur |
Arpana Caur is an Indian contemporary painter and graphic artist.[1] Caur focuses on depictions of women's conditions in modern India, life and death, violence, and the environment. Clothing is a recurring theme in her work, in reference to the established image of women.[2]
Early life and education
Arpana Caur[a] was born in 1954, in Delhi to a Sikh family who fled the Pakistani West Punjab to the Republic of India in 1947 during the confusion of the partition of British India. Her mother, Ajeet Caur, is a Panjabi-language writer. Caur adopted her first name, Arpana, at the age of fifteen, as an expression of her personal development.
She was exposed to art, music, and literature early in her life. She learned the sitar and wrote poetry, however she enjoyed painting the most. At the age of nine, she made her first oil painting, 'Mother & Daughter', inspired by the works of Amrita Shergil. Caur graduated from the University of Delhi with a Master of Arts degree in literature. She did not obtain formal education in painting, and was largely self taught. However, she received training in etching at the Garhi Studios in New Delhi, which she completed in 1982.[3]
In a 2011 interview with Yashodhara Dalmia, when asked if she considered herself a feminist, Caur stated that she does not, as the themes she incorporates, or is curious about, go beyond gender and are ones that every human is faced with.[4]
Career
Influences and style
Caur's paintings draw from events and situations around her, with her work focusing on social issues that highlight the victimized. She has been influenced by existing traditions, namely those from the Gond, Godna, Madhubani, Pahari miniatures (hill-paintings), and folk art forms.[5] Caur's mother's had a strong influence on her, which can be seen in her work, where the woman often occupies a central focus. Her work also draws from Punjabi literature.[6]
Caur's works include watercolour and gauche paintings, and sculptures incorporating motifs, myths, and stories. Throughout her career, she has featured scissors as a motif so frequently that it has earned her the nickname kainchi.[7]
Spirituality, time, life and death are recurring themes throughout her work. Nature and figures play a significant role in her storytelling.[4]
In the 1990s, Caur created a series of collaborations with Indian folk artists from the Indigenous ethnic groups of Warli and Godna, who live in the Madhubani region of the Indian state of Bihar.[8] She is one of the first contemporary artists to have collaborated with folk artisans.
In 1995, she was commissioned to create the mural 'Tears from Hiroshima' by the Hiroshima Museum of Modern Art, in order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima.[6] It was displayed at the Documenta in Kassel. Caur expressed fear at the temporary aspect of the installation. She included in the mural pots brimming with water, signifying tears within the context of the man-made tragedy.[9]
Solo exhibitions
| YEAR | EXHIBITION DETAILS |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Mural on Tiles for outer wall of SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu[10] |
| 2007 | Indigo Blue Gallery, Singapore |
| 2005 | Mahua Gallery, Bangalore |
| 2004 | Galerie Mueller & Plate, Munich |
| 2003 | Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, New Delhi |
| October Gallery, London[10] | |
| 2002 | Cymroza Gallery, Mumbai |
| 2001 | Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, New Delhi |
| 1999 | CIMA Gallery, Kolkata[10] |
| 1998 | Fine Art Resources, Berlin |
| Foundation for Indian Artists Galerie, Amsterdam | |
| Cymroza Gallery, Mumbai | |
| 1997 | Arks Gallery, London[10] |
| 1996 | Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai and Bangalore |
| 1994 | Cymroza Gallery, Mumbai |
| 1993 | Rabindra Bhawan Gallery, New Delhi |
| 1991 | Collins Gallery, Glasgow[10] |
| 1988 | Art Heritage New Delhi |
| 1987 | October Gallery, London |
| 1985 | Art Heritage, New Delhi[10] |
| Cymroza Gallery, Mumbai | |
| 1984 | Ethnographic Museum, Stockholm |
| National Museum, Copenhagen | |
| Jehangir Gallery, Mumbai | |
| 1982 | Chapter Gallery, Cardiff |
| Jehangir Gallery, Mumbai | |
| October Gallery, London [10] | |
| 1981 | City hall Gallery, Ottawa |
| 1980 | Jehangir Gallery, Mumbai[10] |
| 1979 | Rabindra Bhawan Gallery, New Delhi |
| Gallery Arts 38, London | |
| 1975 | Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi |
Group exhibitions
1995 Inside Out: Contemporary Women Artists of India, Middlesbrough Art Gallery[11]
1992 Crossing Black Waters[11]
1988 Graven Images[11]
1988 Numaish Lait Kala[11]
1984 First Indo- Greek Cultural Symposium and group shows, Athens and Delphi
1981 Executed two large murals for India International Trade Fair, New Delhi[12]
Reviews, articles texts
Eddie Chambers, 'Inside Out: Contemporary Women Artists of India', Art Monthly no193, (February 1996) 35-37.[11] Besides this, her work has been covered extensively in newspapers, magazines, art books and International Herald Tribune, Arts Review London, Citizen Ottawa, Die Welt and Dagens Nhyter Stockholm.[13]
Caur has also been cinematically covered with numerous films and biopics by BBC London, Sidharth Tagore, Chandermani, Doordarshan and Raqs Media.[13]
Film producer
In August 2026, she co-produced a drama film Rehmat, directed by Gurvinder Singh based on her mother's short stories, which made it to the 79th Locarno Film Festival in the Main Competition.[14]
Awards and honours
- 2017 B. C. Sanyal award.[15]
- 2011 Rotary Club of Delhi: The Lifetime Achievement Award for Vocational Excellence
- 2010 Sikh Art and Film Foundation, New York: The Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2009 Chief Guest for Conferring B.F.A. degrees, Delhi College of Art Convocation
- 2007 T.K. Padamini Award, Kerala Govt.
- 2001 Advisory Committee Member: National Gallery of Modern Art Delhi, Lalit Kala Academy, and Sahitya Kala Parishad
- 1995–98 Selection Committee member, Republic Day Pageants for Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India
- 1995 Commissioned by Hiroshima Museum to excite a large work for its permanent collection on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Holocaust
- 1991–92 Purchase Committee Member, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
- 1990–2000 Collaborated with Gonna artist Sat Narain Pandey and for the first time in India, co-signed works with him
- 1990–02 Jury Member, Republic Day Pageants New Delhi Nominated Eminent Artist by Lalit Kala Academy
- 1989 Jury Member, National Exhibition, New Delhi
- 1987 VI Triennele Gold Medal for Painting (International exhibition)
- 1986 Gold Medal at 6th India Triennale (awarded by the Lalit Kala Akademi)[6]
- 1985 All India Fine Arts Society Award [6]
- 1984 Research Grant from Lalit Kala Academy for painting in Garhi Studio, New Delhi
Collections
Caur's paintings have been collected extensively in collections, both public and private, which include:
- Victoria and Albert Museum London
- Rockefeller Collection, New York
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
- Singapore Museum of Modern Art, Singapore
- National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai[16]
- Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh
- Ethnographic Museum, Stockholm
- Kunst Museum, Düsseldorf
- Bradford Museum, Bradford, U.K[17]
- Glenbarra Museum, Japan
- Deutsche Bank, Mumbai and Chandigarh
- Kapany Collection, San Francisco
- Asian Art Museum, San Francisco[17]
- Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation, Mumbai [18]
- Birla Akademi Collection, Calcutta
- Peabody Essex Museum, Boston
- Reubens Museum, New York[17]
- Venkatappa Museum (Roerich & Hebbar), Bangalore
- Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal
- Bengal Foundation, Dhaka
- J.K Kejriwal Museum Collection, Bangalore Dhaka Museum[17]
Social consciousness
Arpana Caur has led the Academy of Fine Arts & Literature which hosts the South Asian Literature Festival; strengthening bonds between authors from the subcontinent.[19]
She is known to have successfully rallied against the felling of trees in New Delhi's Siri forest area during the construction of food courts and restaurants for the 2010 Commonwealth Games Village.[20]
She supports a leprosy home in Ghaziabad in memory of her younger sister. The home also offers vocational training for young girls.[21]
Notes
References
- ↑ "India Art Festival is now bigger and better". Millennium Post. 21 November 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ↑ "Artsy". Artsy.
- ↑ KG Saur. Vol. 17. Munich: General Artist's Encyclopedia. 1997. p. 342.
- 1 2 Dalmia, Yashodhara (2011). Arpana Caur- Abstract Figuration (Conversations). New Delhi: Academy of Fine Arts and Literature. p. 15. ISBN 978-81-88703-15-9.
- ↑ Dalmia, Yashodhara (2011). Arpana Caur Abstract Figuration. New Delhi: Academy of Fine Arts and Literature. p. 8. ISBN 978-81-88703-15-9.
- 1 2 3 4 Mehrotra, Rajiv (2011). The Spirit of the Muse: Conversations on the Journeys of Artists. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 9789381398173.
- ↑ Arpana Caur- Abstract Figuration. New Delhi: Academy of Fine Arts and Literature. 2011. p. 82. ISBN 978-81-88703-15-9.
- ↑ Jhaveri, Amrita (2005). A Guide to 101 Modern & Contemporary Indian Artists. Mumbai: India Book House. p. 101. ISBN 81-7508-423-5.
- ↑ Dalmia, Yashodhara (2011). Arpana Caur- Abstracting Figuration. New Delhi: Academy of Fine Arts and Literature. p. 11. ISBN 978-81-88703-15-9.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Arpana Caur- Abstract Figuration. New Delhi: Academy of Fine Arts and Literature. 2011. p. 213. ISBN 978-81-88703-15-9.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Keen, Melanie. (1996). Recordings : a select bibliography of contemporary African, Afro-Caribbean and Asian British art. Ward, Elizabeth., Chelsea College of Art and Design., Institute of International Visual Arts. London: Institute of International Visual Arts and Chelsea College of Art and Design. ISBN 1899846069. OCLC 36076932.
- ↑ Arpana Caur- Abstract Figuration. Academy of Fine Arts and Literature. 2011. p. 214. ISBN 978-81-88703-15-9.
- 1 2 Arpana Caur- Abstract Figuration. New Delhi: Academy of Fine Arts and Literature. 2011. p. 215. ISBN 978-81-88703-15-9.
- ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (15 May 2026). "Paris Outfit Pavo Films Launches With Gurvinder Singh's 'Rehmat,' Starring Naseeruddin Shah (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ "Artists honoured with BC Sanyal Award". business-standard. 17 January 2017.
- ↑ "Threads of Life: Arpana Caur's journey of becoming an artist living through violence". The Indian Express. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 Arpana Caur- Abstract Figuration. New Delhi: Academy of Fine Arts and Literature. 2011. p. 216. ISBN 978-81-88703-15-9.
- ↑ "Arpana Caur - JNAF". Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ↑ "Ties That Bind". The Indian Express. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ↑ Chowdhury, Kavita (23 October 2015). "Lunch with BS: Arpana Caur". Business Standard India. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ↑ Madhukar, Jayanthi (12 November 2016). "Artist Arpana Caur talks about her canvasses and what inspired them". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
External links
