Making the Modern: Exhibition Brings Together Sixty Indian Master Artists in New Delhi

New Delhi, October 16, 2026: An exhibition bringing together works by sixty Indian modern and post-Independence artists will open at Shridharani Art Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi. Titled Making the Modern: Sixty Indian Master Artists, the exhibition is presented by the Raza Foundation in collaboration with Progressive Art Gallery and curated by art historian and independent curator Yashodhara Dalmia. A preview is scheduled for October 17 at 6 pm, with the exhibition listed as running through October 26, 2026.

Exploring the Many Histories of Indian Modernism

The exhibition examines the development of modern Indian art through different generations, artistic approaches and cultural influences. Rather than presenting a single, chronological account, it brings together artists whose practices responded to changing social realities, Indian traditions and international developments in art.

According to the exhibition catalogue, Indian modernism emerged through a continuing exchange between inherited visual traditions and new forms of expression. The participating artists explored subjects ranging from mythology, spirituality and landscape to urban life, identity, memory and displacement.

From Early Modern Pioneers to Post-Independence Artists

The selection includes artists who helped shape the foundations of modern Indian art, including Raja Ravi Varma, Abanindranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Amrita Sher-Gil and Jamini Roy. Their approaches differed considerably, from the integration of European academic realism with Indian subjects to the reinterpretation of folk traditions and the search for an artistic language rooted in Indian cultural experience.

The exhibition also features artists associated with the decades surrounding Independence and the years that followed. These include M. F. Husain, F. N. Souza, S. H. Raza, V. S. Gaitonde, Ram Kumar, Akbar Padamsee, Krishen Khanna, Ganesh Haloi, Nasreen Mohamedi, Bhupen Khakhar, Arpita Singh and Zarina Hashmi.

The Progressive Artists’ Group and New Artistic Languages

A significant part of the exhibition’s narrative concerns the Progressive Artists’ Group, formed in Bombay in 1947. Its members sought to develop contemporary artistic approaches that moved beyond colonial academic conventions and a romanticised revival of the past.

The group included Souza, Husain, Raza, K. H. Ara, H. A. Gade and sculptor S. K. Bakre. Their practices differed, but their experiments helped expand the possibilities of modern Indian painting. Other artists represented in the exhibition pursued abstraction, figurative expression, landscape and socially engaged imagery, reflecting the diversity of approaches that emerged across the country.

Painting, Sculpture and Social Experience

Making the Modern extends beyond painting to include sculptors such as Ram Kinkar Baij, Pradosh Das Gupta, Himmat Shah, Meera Mukherjee, Mrinalini Mukherjee, S. Nandgopal, Chintamani Kar, S. Dhanpal, B. Vithal and K. S. Radhakrishnan. Their inclusion highlights the role of material, form and space in the development of modern Indian sculpture.

The catalogue also draws attention to artists whose work engages with everyday life and social conditions. The concerns explored across the exhibition include poverty, migration, Partition, changing urban environments and the experiences of marginalised communities. Together, these themes place artistic experimentation within the wider history of modern India.

Curator and Organisers

Yashodhara Dalmia is an independent curator and art historian whose work includes writing on modern Indian art and curating exhibitions devoted to significant artists and movements. Her published books include Amrita Sher-Gil and The Making of Modern Indian Art. The exhibition brings her research interests into a presentation that places multiple artistic generations in conversation.

The Raza Foundation, established in 2001 by artist Sayed Haider Raza, works across art, culture and ideas through exhibitions, publications, discussions and fellowships. Progressive Art Gallery is the collaborating gallery for the presentation. Triveni Kala Sangam, established in 1950, provides a multidisciplinary cultural setting for visual art, dance and music.

Dates, Venue and Visitor Information

By bringing together sixty artists across different generations and mediums, Making the Modern offers visitors an opportunity to consider how Indian modern art developed through exchanges between tradition, experimentation and social change. It also provides a shared setting for examining the varied artistic responses that have shaped the country’s cultural history.