Somnath Hore

Somnath Hore was born in a village called Barama in Chittagong, in present-day Bangladesh, in 1921. While still very young, he started making posters for the Communist Party. It was with the help of the leader of this party that he was admitted to the Government College of Arts and Crafts.

Between 1954 and 1967, Hore held various jobs in various capacities. From 1954 to 1958 he was a lecturer at the Indian College of Art and Drawing in Calcutta. Afterward, until 1967, he held positions such as head of the graphic section at the College of Art in Delhi, visiting professor at MS University in Baroda, and head of the graphic art department at Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati. In 1960, he became a member of the Society of Contemporary Artists.

In 1974, Hore started making bronze sculptures. Mother with Child, a large sculpture that paid tribute to the struggle of the Vietnamese people, was stolen from the Kala Bhavan shortly after it was made and has never been found again.

The tragic human form has been widely reflected in Hore's figuration. Rough surfaces, grooves, holes, and exposed channels add to the visual appeal of his work.

BORN

1921 Chattogram, Bangladesh

DIED

2006 Santiniketan

EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS

1957 Diploma in Fine Arts, Government College of Arts and Crafts, Calcutta

SELECTED POSTHUMOUS EXHIBITIONS

2017 Tea Garden Journal and other works, presented by Kerala Laithakala Akademi and The Seagull Foundation for the Arts at Durbar Hall Art Centre, Ernakulam

2015 Abby Grey and Indian Modernism Selections from the New York University Art Collection, Grey Art Gallery, New York University, New York

2013-14 Transition, 20th Anniversary Exhibition, CIMA International Modern Art Centre, Kolkata

2013 Hunger, Seagull Foundation for the Arts, Kolkata

2012-13 Calcutta Chromosome, The Viewing Room, Bombay

2012 Crossings Time Unfolded, Part 2, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art KNMA, New Delhi

2011 Manifestations VI, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi

2011 Bodies That Matter, Art Heritage, New Delhi

2011 Somnath Hore Prints, Drawings, Posters, The Seagull Arts and Media Resource Centre, 2010 A Retrospective of Prints by Somnath Hore, Project 88, Mumbai

2010 Vahana, Bombay Art Gallery, Mumbai

2009 Modern Continuous, Galerie 88, Calcutta

2009 Wound, Aicon Gallery, London

2008 Moderns, Royal Cultural Centre, Amman, Jordan, organized by Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, in collaboration with the Embassy of India, Amman, Jordan

2008 The Seagull Arts and Media Resource Centre, Calcutta

2008 Freedom 2008 - Sixty Years of Indian Independence, CIMA International Modern Art Centre, Calcutta

2007 Agony & Ecstacy Bronzes by Somnath Hore, Gallery Espace, New Delhi

2007 Life and Art of Somnath Hore, Project 88, Mumbai

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

1999 Anguish Absorbed, The Window, Mumbai

1995 Bronzes, Center for International Modern Art CIMA Gallery, Calcutta

1992 Wounds, Somnath Hores Bronzes, Drawings and Prints, organized by Seagull, Calcutta at Sukh Sagar, Calcutta

1988 Sculptures and Sketches, organized by Kala Yatra at Sistas Art Gallery, Bangalore

1973 Kunika-Chemould Gallery, New Delhi

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2004 Manifestations II, organized by Delhi Art Gallery at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai and Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi

2003 Manifestations, organized by Delhi Art Gallery at World Trade Centre, Mumbai and Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi

1996 Contemporary Indian Paintings from the Chester and Davida Hertwitz Collection, Part II, USA

1993 Wounds, International Centre for Modern Art Gallery CIMA, Calcutta and National Gallery of Modern Art NGMA, New Delhi

1991 National Exhibition of Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Modern Art NGMA, New Delhi

1986 Visions, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Calcutta

PARTICIPATIONS

1968 Warsaw Biennial of Graphic Arts, Poland

1968 First World Art Triennial, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi

1966 International Association of Fine Artists Exhibition, Tokyo and Calcutta

1963 Sao Paulo Biennial, Brazil

1962 Venice Biennial, Italy

1960 Lugano International Biennial of Graphic Arts, Switzerland

HONORS AND AWARD

2004 Lalit Kala Ratna Puraskar, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.

1984 Gagan-Abani Award, Calcutta.

1984 Professor Emeritus, Santiniketan.

1977 L. N. Gupta Memorial Award.

1963 National Graphic Award for Dream, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.

1962 National Graphics Award for The Birth of a White Rose, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.

1960 National Prize for Painting, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi

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