Mohan Sharma

Acquired from Lions Gallery, Florida, 2023

Born in 1942 in Udaipur, Mohan Sharma graduated from the Sir J.J. School of Art in 1965. During his time as a student, Shankar Balwant Palsikar introduced him to Francis Newton Souza, and he assisted Souza with a series of paintings, Souza Kalam, that was exhibited at the Taj Art Gallery in Bombay in 1965. This proved to be a symbiotic relationship, as Souza found a rejuvenated sense of inspiration in this collaboration, while Sharma maintained a strong relationship with Souza’s first wife Maria; she would go on to arrange solo exhibitions of Sharma's work at Arts 38 in London, the gallery that she owned.

Untitled is a striking example of Sharma’s cubist style. The preponderance of vertical lines help lead the eye up and down the narrow canvas, while Sharma’s training as a miniaturist is evident in his keen choice of colors. Cool oranges, greens and browns fill much of the work, but are offset by a bold swatch of electric blue. Totally abstract yet still brimming with energy and life, Untitled is a brilliant demonstration of Sharma’s artistic talent.

'I do not have a clear picture in my mind of what happened to Indian Art in the 19th century... nor do I know what precisely is going on at present, except that among my old friends like Husain, Raza, Padamsee, Chandra, Gaitonde, Samant, who are making 20th century Indian art, I, without hesitation, include the young Mohan Sharma.'

(F.N. Souza, 'A Tribute to Mohan Sharma', Twenty Cosmic Crystals by Mohan Sharma, Jaipur Printers, Jaipur, 1970)