The Orientalists' Gaze

Two Orientalist works acquired by DAG, which have never been displayed in India before, bring a fresh perspective to their subjects beyond the usual clichés

- Amit Dixit

Among works by familiar greats like F.N. Souza, M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Nandalal Bose, Satish Gujral, Bikash Bhattacharjee, and many more at the recently concluded third edition of ICONIC, DAG’s exhibition series on ‘Masterpieces of Indian Modern Art’, two paintings stood out, Orientalist works being seen in India for the first time.

These are Edwin Lord Weeks’ ‘The Dance’ and Marius Bauer’s ‘Benares’. “The idea behind ICONIC is to show some of the most exemplary works of art created in the coun­try,” says Kishore Singh, Senior VP, DAG. “These are museum­quality works with elements of rar­ity.” Bauer’s work is also part of The Orientalists’ Benares, an exhibition opening on January 11 at DAG Mumbai as part of Mumbai Gallery Weekend.