South Asian Modernists explores the works of Pakistani and Indian artists who worked with Victor Musgrave between 1953-63.

Musgrave ran the experimental Gallery One space where South Asia’s most eminent modernists artists were exhibited. Amongst the most important exhibitions held was Seven Indian Painters in Europe (1958) which received critical acclaim and introduced Indian artists to the British market. This exhibition at the Whitworth reflects the pioneering efforts of Musgrave across the decade to introduce South Asian Modernists. Drawing exclusively on works from the 1953-63 period and capturing the creative atmosphere of the time.

The exhibition includes works by S H Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Tyeb Mehta, Paritosh Sen, Avinash Chandra, Anwar Jalal Shemza, Francis Newton Souza, Ram Kumar, Laxman Pai, M F Husain and Mohan Samant. Alongside the paintings on display are works on paper and archival material, such as exhibition catalogues and photographs by the renowned photographer Ida Kar, Musgrave’s wife at the time.

The exhibition is co-curated with Amrita Jhaveri, an expert in Modern and Contemporary Indian art, gallerist, author and collector. Works are kindly being lent by both public and private collections, including the Hepworth Wakefield, Grosvenor Gallery, Leicestershire County Council, The Ruth Borchard Collection c/o Piano Nobile and Lincoln College, Oxford.