Sacred and sexual

Different Strokes

One of the biggest and costliest versions of contemporary art exhibitions, Documenta 9 held in Kassel, Germany during June - September 1992 with 1000 exhibition pieces attracted over six lakh visitors. 

Among the featured artists were acclaimed Anglo-Irish figurative painter, Francis Bacon (1909 – 92); celebrated German conceptual artist, Joseph Beuys (1921-86); French-American artist and sculptor, Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010);  London-based  sculptor, Anish Kapoor (b.1954); and influential Belgian painter, Luc Tuymans (b.1958). 

Invited by Jan Hoet, the artistic director of Documenta 9, Bhupen Khakhar (1934-2003) became the first Indian artist to showcase his work at the prestigious event.   One of the most controversial artists of post-Independence era, Khakhar was among the 196 artists selected from across the world to take part in it. 

Eight years later, Khakhar won the 2000 Prince Claus Award (Euro 20,000) for having developed a completely original, Indian-inspired language in his painting which had come to attract international attention.  He was also recognised for choosing topics from his immediate environment and expressing openly and with humour such matters as vulnerability, dreams and his sexual individuality.

Born in Mumbai and trained as a Chartered Accountant, Khakhar began his career as a painter only in his 30s. A self-taught artist, he went on to become – what English artist/writer Timothy Hyman described as — ‘possibly the most provocative painter in contemporary Indian art.’  Hyman, who penned a monograph on Khakhar in 1998, saw the Indian artist as one ‘who created the most challenging gay iconography of our time, in which the sexual and the sacred are often conjoined.’

Khakhar who also wrote short stories and plays in his mother tongue, Gujarati, had solo exhibitions in many cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Baroda, Ahmedabad, London, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Vancouver, and Manchester. His works featured in a number of leading group exhibitions in different museums and galleries around the world. ‘A retrospective of his work was held at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai in 2003. Another retrospective was mounted in 2002/3 at the Reina Sofia in Madrid; the show subsequently was taken to the Lowry in Salford, UK.

Autobiographical

Khakhar’s narrative and autobiographical paintings came to be recognised and celebrated for their unique representation of the daily struggles of the common man.

His work was characterised by a compassionate view of the street where ordinary people took the centre stage. An inherent loneliness pervades Khakhar’s protagonists who seem to lead an active life but one without any meaning or significance.

Candid revelations of urban life and explicit images of homosexual life became part of his intimate and inimitable narrative style. Khakhar chose homo-eroticism as a theme because he was gay and because he was concerned with the condition of homosexuals in the Indian society. “My interest is something which is around me, something which is part of my life, the things that I see,” said Khakhar. “Most artists don't do these subjects as they are taboo, and I think, let me do it…What is happening in India – social rejection – did happen once in countries like USA and Europe.

The police in all societies have beaten up gays and lesbians…For me, there is nothing unnatural about homosexuality.” His visit to England in 1979 and consequent acquaintance with openly gay artists like Howard Hodgkin, David Hockney and Kitaj had a profound influence on his art practice. (He was invited to teach at Bath Academy of Arts for six months in 1979).  While in England, he was struck by the tolerant public attitude towards homosexuality and this in turn gave him a new freedom when he approached his own subjects on the canvas.

“I tried to explore and represent the world of homosexuals as I know and understand it,” he explained. “Now I feel amused, but at that time I felt very pressurised because in India there are hardly any painters doing gay subjects. At first the galleries didn’t like them. Some removed my work from their walls saying that young people would see and they would get bad ideas about sex.”

Courage and charm

Khakhar’s work came to be hailed more in the West than in his own country. His paintings prominently featured in international auctions. 

In September 2006, his Artist’s Studio (oil on canvas/ 65 x 65inch/1995) was auctioned by Christie’s for $ 24,0000 (about Rs 1 crore).  On 2nd June 2010, Republic Day (oil on canvas/33 x 33 inch/ 1972) was put up at Bonhams with an estimate of £30,000-40,000; it was eventually lapped up for three times the estimate i.e. £120,000!

On June 10, 2010, Untitled (Gulammohammed Sheikh with Tom Hancock) painted by Khakhar in 1970s (oil on canvas/ 33 x 33 inch) got £121,250 ($176,661) in a Christie’s auction.

Khakhar was commissioned to paint Salman Rushdie’s portrait in 1995. He created The Moor (Oil on linen/ 48  x 48 inch) which presented the Booker prize winning author surrounded by scenes from his famous novel; it was bought by the National Portrait Gallery, Britain, for 10,000 pounds.

Many of his paintings like Janata Watch Repairing (1972), Man with Bouquet of Plastic Flowers(1976), View from a Teashop (1972), Butchers Shop in London (1979), You can’t please all (1981), Hamam Khana, Gallery of Rogues (1982) and Yayati (1987) are to this day hailed by critics and connoisseurs for their unique visualisation.

“Khakhar has a miraculous ability to dissect his surroundings, identifying the crucial elements in a scene and rendering each one individually while maintaining a sense of the cohesive whole,” noted Christies in one of its catalogues.

Recipient of Padma Shree in 1984, Khakhar died of cancer on 8 August 2003, at the age of 69.

Writing his obituary in The Independent, Hyman described Khakhar as a man of exceptional courage and generosity, of radiant charm and mischievous humour, who became celebrated for his startling, visionary images of homosexual love.