Celebrating Gieve Patel, the generous mentor

Hoskote attributes Patel's appeal among younger artists to his clarity of thought and his refusal to follow dogmas

- Anindo Sen

Throughout Indian art history, there have been instances of artists as mentors to generations of young practitioners, ranging from Ramkinkar Baij and Nandalal Bose to K.G. Subramanyan and Jyoti Bhatt.

An ongoing exhibition, A Show of Hands, at Jehangir Nicolson Art Foundation (JNAF) in Mumbai examines the role of another beloved mentor, Gieve Patel, who died in 2023.

Largely self-taught and primarily a figurative painter, his work explored urban landscapes, people on the margins and the impact of human development on the ecology. He was a doctor—as well as an artist, poet and playwright, and found wide recognition in each of these professions.

A Show of Hands is curated by cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote, who found a mentor in Patel as a teenager. The two shared a deep friendship for nearly four decades. The exhibition feels like an intimate, soulful remembrance while also being a celebration of the values Patel held close.

The first edition of this show was held at Vadehra Art Gallery in Delhi last year, and has now opened in Mumbai, which not only served as the artist's home but also his muse.

According to Puja Vaish, director, JNAF, the showcase is a tribute to the institution's longstanding ties with Patel. "Jehangir Nicolson had purchased a seminal work by Patel, Statesmen on a Floral Rostrum (1972), from his solo show at Pundole's Gallery, and it later featured in JNAF's inaugural exhibition in 2011," she explains.