Celebrating a seven-decade legacy in Indian modern art: Satish Gujral 100

"The function of art, above all, is to contribute to man’s understanding of himself and the world he lives in,” is how the late legendary artist Satish Gujral described his tryst with art. Satish Gujral 100: A Centenary Exhibition, commemorating the centenary of Satish Gujral (1925 - 2025) was inaugurated at the National Gallery of Modern Art recently. Presented by NGMA in collaboration with the Gujral Foundation, the ongoing exhibition showcases Gujral’s seven-decade engagement with material, form, memory and space. The exposition has over 150 works of Satish Gujral, showcasing his vast body of work, including sketches, paintings, sculptures and murals.

An opportunity to engage with Gujral’s ideas, art and legacy
From witnessing the trauma of Partition and the birth of a new nation to reflecting on the rhythms of everyday life, Gujral’s works emerge as repositories of lived experience and memory. During a special walkthrough, curator Kishore Singh observed, “Over the years, in his artworks his language changes, the expressions change. His art ranged from the empathetic to the playful, from the poignant to the joyful. It came from a place of silence.”

Offering an insight into Satish Gujral’s creative process, his journey from Jhelum to Bombay, then Mexico and back – across cultural, political scenarios, the exhibition is a retrospective and a reflection on the legendary artist’s legacy.

About how this exhibition honours both his parents, Mohit Gujral said, “The exhibition showcases the diversity of the person that my father was. Through this exhibit, you will discover two people today. One was a great artist, whose foundation was his strife and his suffering, which defined the beginning of his life. And the second part you will see is my mother, Kiran, who was all over the show, who was symbiotic as his partner, who I think helped define the second-half of who he was.”

“Satish Gujral occupies a pivotal place in the story of Indian modern art. This exhibition is a celebration of the artist, the sculptor, the muralist, the architect and his entire life journey," said Sanjeev Kishor Goutam, Director General, NGMA.

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