Jogen Chowdhury’s solo exhibition draws art lovers

Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee recently inaugurated an art exhibition that features works of well-known artist Jogen Chowdhury. The exhibition, Reverie and Reality, is the artist’s solo exhibition that celebrates more than six decades of his work. This exhibition brings together works from all phases of his career over the years, spanning from 1955 to 2015, embracing a variety of media and themes.What's interesting is that renowned art collectors like celebrity couple Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, Masanori Fukuoka, Dadiba and Khorshed Pundole, Gallery Mirchandani and Steinruecke, Rajiv Bhargava, Prashant Tulsian, Abhrajit Mitra and many more have shared Jogen’s work from their private collection for the exhibition. Art critic, curator and poet, Ranjit Hoskote, who also curated the show, said, “Reverie and Reality traces a retrospective arc across Jogen Chowdhury’s oeuvre from the mid-1950s to the present — a period that coincides with our history as an independent nation, with all its crises, anxieties, hopes and dreams. We have brought together nearly 200 artworks, spanning diverse phases of the artist’s work, and several media including oils, watercolour, graphite and charcoal drawings, lithographs, pastels, mixed media work, and book illustration. This exhibition is a tribute to one of India’s most distinguished artists in his many roles, as the creator of images, teacher, cultural activist and organiser and builder of institutions.” Talking about the exhibition, Jogen said, “Artists express themselves through their artworks, which is a very personal and intimate experience. This is a very special occasion for me to share my journey of six decades.”