MOHAN SAMANT
Born 1924 in Bombay, India.
Died 2004 in New York City.
Mohan Samant was an early Indian modernist painter and a member of the famed Progressive Artists' Group (PAG). Samant's dynamic practice has been described as a 'one-man avant-garde.' (Ranjit Hoskote) He was a transcultural artist who absorbed the visual complexities of Hindu temples, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and pre-Columbian ceramics, to name a few, and combined them with references ot European artsits like Paul Klee and Pablo Picasso to creat an endlessly developing style that was all his own.
Mohan Samant, Untitled, c. 1963, Mixed media on board, 70.25 x 36.5 in (178.4 x 92.7 cm)
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Mohan Samant, Untitled, c. 1973, Mixed media with sand on canvas, 72.25 x 35 in (183.5 x 88.9 cm)
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Mohan Samant, Untitled, mid 1970s, Oil on canvas, 72 x 34.5 in (182.9 x 87.6 cm)
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Mohan Samant, Chariot, c. 1978-80, Mixed media on canvas, 52.5 x 50.5 in (133.4 x 128.3 cm)
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Mohan Samant, Killing of the Mythical Bird, 1980, Mixed media and paper cutouts on a textured background, 46 x 46 in (116.8 x 116.8 cm)
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Mohan Samant, Mrutya Smruti: Dance for the Ancestors, 1987, Acrylic, oil, sand and wire drawings on canvas, 55x 72.5 in (139.7 x 184.15 cm)
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Mohan Samant, Untitled, c. 1988, Mixed media with wire and toys on canvas, 71 x 73 in (180.3 x 185.4 cm)
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Mohan Samant, Cortez in Inca Land, 1988, Mixed media with wire drawings on canvas, 68 x 84 in (1722.7 x 213.4 cm)
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Mohan Samant, Archaeologist at the Ancient City, 2003, Mixed media with folded paper on canvas, 68 x 87 in (172.7 x 221 cm)
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Mohan Samant, Bird Flight, early 1980s, Watercolor and cut paper on paper, 40 x 29 in (101.6 x 73.7 cm)
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Mohan Samant, The Gossipers, 1998, Watercolor on paper, 50 x 35 in (127 x 88.9 cm)
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Mohan Samant, Walking Over a Dark River, 1999, Watercolor and cut paper on paper, 40 x 28.5 in (101.6 x 73.4 cm)
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Below, we present our 15 best booths from Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2024.
The Indian modernist's retrospective at Aicon NY charts his practice from the early 1960s - 2003, unveiling his heavily textured surfaces, three-dimensional paper cut-outs, and more.
In the year of centenaries, KNMA in Delhi brings the works of Mohan Samant, the unsung master of Progressive Artists' Gropu, back into spotlight with a seminal exhibition, 'Magic in the Square.'
From 4th-century Hindu sculpture to modernist photography, discover the South Asian artists who revolutionized creative culture at home and abroad.
