Saffronart presents a grand retrospective of the work of Sayed Haider Raza, one of India’s most prominent and critically acclaimed modernists. On view from September 21 – October 31, 2007, the paintings and drawings exhibited will represent a creative career that spans over six decades. Drawn from important collections around the world, this collection represents Raza’s expansive and dynamic oeuvre through some of his most significant creations. An opening cocktail reception in the artist’s presence will be held on September 20th, 2007 at Saffronart’s gallery space at the prestigious Fuller Building, New York.

Since he began painting in the early 1940s, Raza’s subject, style and technique have evolved in distinct stages through his migration to France, his interaction with Abstract Expressionism through the 1950s and 1960s and his return to a core Indian aesthetic philosophy in the 1970’s. Beginning with academic landscapes, Raza’s works become freer and more impressionistic in the 1950’s. Later, the lines blurred and color began to dominate the frame in his experiments with Abstract Expressionism; though his theme remained the landscape, it was now a non-representational one. In the late 70s, his focus turned to pure geometrical forms; his images were improvisations on an essential theme: that of the mapping out of a metaphorical space in the mind. The circle or “Bindu” now became more of an icon, sacred in its symbolism, and placing his work in an Indian context. These periods of Raza’s works, though distinct, form a continuum – one that is testament to the artist’s constant negotiation to develop painterly vision. Breaking away from frames like nation and specific locations in time and space, Raza’s body of work is trans-cultural in its appeal, making this retrospective an especially significant event for Indian Art on a worldwide stage. At the same time, Raza’s work continues to underscore the changing face of contemporary Indian identity.

Not only does this major retrospective of the work mark the artist’s 85th birthday, it is also an important step forward in Saffronart’s commitment to providing a comprehensive global platform for Modern and Contemporary Indian Art. Minal Vazirani, Co-Founder, Saffronart, says, “Putting together this retrospective of S.H. Raza’s works has been a window into the development of one of the most significant creative processes within modern Indian art. Raza’s works from the 1970s to the present, although rooted in ancient aesthetic tradition, transcends geographic and artistic boundaries – His aesthetic is imbued with a universality that has attracted collectors worldwide for decades. Saffronart is proud to feature such an extensive view of Raza’s oevere.” This retrospective constitutes the first major comprehensive exhibition of Raza in the United States.