There's an art show in town you don't want to miss. "School" showcases the works of late artist Dashrath Patel who was founder-secretary of India's premier design school, NID. This is the first ever solo exhibition of the renowned Indian Modernist's work in Eastern India and it is a collection as eclectic as him. I cannot recommend it enough.
On display is everything from the more traditional canvas to line drawings etched onto ceramic plates and mounted onto the wall to form an interesting installation. Curated with care and excellently put together the art is interspersed with bits of texts and poignant quotes from the artist.
Also on display is his photography, a medium for which he is not as well known. His photographs, which are mostly candids and street shots like the ones so popular on Instagram today, show what a pioneer he was. He had a knack for spotting and capturing the beauty in everyday existence.
Dashrath Patel was a . A contemporary of M.F. Husain and Tyeb Mehta amongst others, he was a founding secretary of the National School of Design and was awarded a Padma Shri within his lifetime followed by a Padma Bhushan posthumously.
A truly gifted artist he worked across mediums and genres often blurring the boundaries between art and design.
This exhibition captures the essence of Patel’s life work and is worth attending for fans of his and art lovers alike.