Amid fanfare, SH Raza's painting exhibition opens in Paris

Paris: It was Valentine's Day and the city of romance was abuzz with charms of love. The same evening, art lovers of the city and a few invited guests from across the globe witnessed a grand opening of late Indian artist S.H. Raza’s largest painting exhibition at The Pompidou Museum. Organised by Raza Foundation, this show will continue till May 15, 2023. 

The inauguration reception dinner was hosted by Swati Piramal in presence of both Indian and French Ambassadors. This exhibition is supported by several art collectors and the Piramal Foundation loaned 35 paintings by S.H.Raza for the show. 

Exhibiting Raza Saab’s - as the artist is fondly called by his fans - work and his artistic development in chronological order, this show hosts some of the rarest paintings by the artist too. 

President of Raza Foundation and old friend of S.H.Raza, Shree Ashok Vajpayee hailed it as the largest-ever exhibition of an Indian Modern artist. He said, “This is the largest exhibition of Raza in his artistic life. Hundred and one years of his life and eighty years of creativity. It is very competently and imaginatively curated. There are many works that people from both India and France would not have seen in a public exhibition.”

The Indian Ambassador to France, Jawed Ashraf deemed this grand exhibition the cultural knot between India and France. He stated, “It is not just a hundred years of his life. It is 75 years of India’s independence. It's 25 years of India-France strategic partnership just as 75 years of India-France relationship.”  He further said, “This is also a celebration of freedom through the work of Raza ji. For the two countries, it is the nurturing of the relationship.”  The show also saw the presence of acclaimed art enthusiasts from  India, Kiran Nadar as well as Swati and Ajay Piramal. 

The Raza Foundation is a non-profit organization devoted to arts, culture, and ideas established in 2001 by the widely acknowledged master of modern Indian art Late Sayed Haider Raza.