A Hungarian-Indian Family of Artists: Master and Disciple

Gopalan Rajamani, guest author

On 31 January 2025, an exhibition titled A Hungarian-Indian Family of Artists: Master and Disciple was inaugurated at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi in collaboration with the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Asiatic Arts, Budapest and the Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Centre, New Delhi.  The exhibition has been curated by Ms. Judit Bagi, Curator Archive of Ferenc Hopp Museum.

Hungary India Master and Disciple5 (1)
Photo: Gopalan Rajamani

The unique exhibition offers an extraordinary opportunity to explore the creative journeys of three remarkable individuals — Umrao Singh Sher-Gil, Amrita Sher-Gil, and Ervin Baktay — whose personal and professional relationships bridge two distinct cultures. Amrita Sher-Gil was one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20th century and a pioneer in modern Indian art. She was mentored by her father, Umrao Singh Sher-Gil and her maternal uncle, Ervin Baktay. Her father was an outstanding photographer. Ervin Baktay was an author, painter and Indologist.

The exhibition presents archival photographs and materials from the Hopp Museum’s rich collection, along with the works of Amrita Sher-Gil from the collection of National Gallery of Modern Arts. The exhibition was inaugurated by H.E. István Szabó, Ambassador of Hungary in India, Dr. Sanjeev Kishor Goutam, Director General of National Gallery of Modern Arts and Dr. Marianne ErdÅ‘, Director of the Liszt Institute Hungarian Cultural Centre, Delhi.

Amrita Sher-Gil had the following to say about art:

“Great art everywhere has the same roots and the comprehension of one brings in its wake the true appreciation of the other”.

Read also: