13 Apr 2024 to 11 May 2024
In/Of Goa: Souza at 100, celebrates the centenary of one of India’s most important and influential Modern painters of the 20th century, Francisco Victor Newton de Souza (F.N. Souza, 1924-2002).
In remembrance of one of the fiercest artists of a post-independent nation, we honor Souza’s life and his work. This show aims to shed light on the profound influence of Goa, Souza's birthplace, on his artistic journey. Souza presented to us a language and a world that was raw, distorted, repulsive, that reflected his own intimate and transgressive nature. As one of the founders of the Progressive Artists’ Group, it was Souza who shaped the soul of modern Indian art. In his world, the spiritual and the erotic dance gracefully as he confronts us with the intricacies of human consciousness and behaviour.
This exhibition presents a series of drawings and paintings from a private collection alongside works created by children, artists and educators commemorating FN Souza’s legacy.
In/Of Goa: Souza at 100 showcases a series of drawings and paintings from a private collection, in collaboration with Grosvenor Gallery, Saffronart, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and HarperCollins.
Highlights of the show: After FN Souza, a workshop series – Students, teachers and artists of Bhatikar Model High School, Margao; Lokvishwas Pratishthan Special School, Ponda; Navy Children School, Dabolim; Sanjay Centre for Special Education, Porvorim; Sharada Mandir School, Goalim Moula; Sharada Mandir School, Miramar; A.J. De Almeida High School, Ponda; G.S. Amonkar Vidya Mandir, Mapusa; Goa College of Architecture, Altinho; Goa College of Art, Altinho are immersed in the processes, techniques and subjects in Souza’s oeuvre. Their renditions are showcased as part of the exhibition. The series is coordinated by contemporary artist Viraj Naik.
Souza: A brief intro into a Revolutionary! A lecture by Conor Macklin, Director, Grosvenor Gallery
Francis Newton Souza was one of the first painters to achieve international recognition from a newly independent India, as well as a leading figure of its avant-garde movement. Born in 1924 in Saligao, Goa, he was known for his powerful and unrestrained imagery. Souza enrolled at the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai, but was expelled in 1945 for supporting the Quit India Movement. Along with his contemporaries, S.H. Raza, M.F. Husain, K.H. Ara, H.A. Gade and S.K. Bakre, Souza started the Progressive Artists’ Group in Bombay in 1947, aimed at cultivating a modernist identity for Indian art. In 1948, his paintings were shown in London that became his home from 1949 until 1954 during which time movements such as Cubism, Expressionism and Art Brut impacted his work. In 1967, Souza received several prestigious awards such as the Guggenheim International Award, then the highest monetary award given in the arts. His works are part of important art collections across the world. He passed away on 28 March 2002 in Mumbai.
