Makhijani - After A long Time
After multiple exhibitions focusing on the art of Cuba, the Pizzuti Collection is shining a spotlight on a different continent with its upcoming show.
The Short North gallery’s new exhibition, Visions from India, is one of the most ambitious projects in its short history.
The exhibition features famous paintings, incredible sculptures and artistic films, all by Indian artists. It opens March 10 and runs through Oct. 28.
The show is in two parts. Transforming Vision: 21st Century Art from the Pizzuti Collection features 40 pieces of contemporary work by Indian artists, while The Progressive Master: Francis Newton Souza from the Rajadhyaksha Collection is a collection of work by renowned 20th century Indian painter Francis Newton Souza.
Greer Pagano, interim curator at Pizzuti Collection, says it took about 15 years for Ron and Ann Pizzuti to acquire all the pieces in the modern-day collection, while Souza’s work was obtained through local collector, Vikram “Raj” Rajadhyaksha, founder of engineering consulting firm DLZ Corporation.
Pors And Rao - GALLERYSKE
Rajadhyaksha felt a connection with Souza’s paintings and took particular interest in Souza when he began exploring art in their shared birthplace, says Greer. Today, Rajadhyaksha has dozens of Souza’s pieces in a variety of styles, many expressing his love for the female body, as well as icons of Catholicism and Hinduism.
“I think people will be surprised at this exhibition, at the range of his styles and also his mastery of the paint medium, his exceptional color work,” says Pagano. “His styles are all over the place because I think what he is doing is looking to the west, he is looking to Indian tradition.”
Photo courtesy of the Pizzuti Collection
The 30 pieces in The Progressive Master were created between the 1940s and the 1990s. Putting it on display in connection with Transforming Vision will give visitors the chance to track the evolution of Indian artwork over decades, Pagano says.
To enhance the experience, the Pizzuti Collection will offer artist talks, poetry readings, music and dancing over the course of Visions from India.
“We’ll have Gallery Hops, family days, scavenger hunts for the kids, lots of different ways to interact with the space,” says Philip Kim, marketing and communications coordinator for the gallery. “I hope that people will want to learn more about Indian culture – the history, the politics – and then translate that to their own culture.”
The Pizzutis and Rajadhyaksha have expressed their enthusiasm about the chance to share their love of collecting Indian art with the Columbus community, Pagano says.
“The fact that we can celebrate Columbus based collectors is a really cool thing – that here, in this city, we have enough work from Indian artists that we can fill a 16,000-square-foot building,” she says. “This is about sharing some of the most important Indian artists with the Columbus community.”
Lydia Freudenberg is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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