GALLERIE NVYA

Arpana Caur

New Delhi, India

Arpana Caur is an eminent Indian contemporary painter and graphic artist with her career spanning over four decades. To quote critic and curator Uma Nair, “Caur is quintessentially the observer of human life – the great narrator of tales – the artist who wants to constantly break the frame to see things differently and come out with an unpredictable phase. As she unravels her works – she ponders on the magic of happenings, of what they do to people, of identities, of tragedies, triumphs, and most of all the unassailable human spirit.” Caur's works encompass paintings with watercolour, gauche and sculptures that are layered with motifs, myths and stories that the artist purposefully references. Spirituality, and time are recurring themes in her works. In conduction with that, she is also intrigued by the themes of life and death.  She has also collaborated with folk artists from the indigenous ethnic groups of  Warli and Godna and created artworks. Caur was born (1954) in Delhi. Arpana graduated from the University of Delhi with a Master of Arts degree in literature. She never received formal training in painting, and was largely self taught. She proceeded to receive training in the etching technique at the Garhi Studios in New Delhi, completing it in 1982. Caur has exhibited since 1974 in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore, Chennai, London, Glasgow, Berlin, Amsterdam, Singapore, Munich, New York, in Stockholm and Copenhagen National Museum, Osaka Print Triennele and Delhi Print Triennele. Her work is in Museums of Modern Art in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Dusseldorf, Singapore, Bradford, Stockholm, Hiroshima, Peabody Essex Boston, MOCA L.A, Brooklyn, Bharat Bhawan Bhopal, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Swaraj Archive & Victoria and Albert Museum London. She also received a Gold medal for painting in VIth International Triennele 1986. She was commissioned by Hiroshima Museum to execute a large work for its permanent collection on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Holocaust in 1995. She lives and works in Delhi.