ART FAIRS

2026

Featuring: Achuthan Kudallur, C. Douglas, A.P. Santhanaraj +6 more

2026

Featuring: C. Krishnaswamy, G. Gurunathan, Jagath Ravi +3 more

2025

For this edition of Art Mumbai, Ashvita’s presents a curated selection of paintings, sculptures, and ceramics that trace the continuum of modern and contemporary art from Madras. The presentation reflects a sustained inquiry into how artists from this region have engaged with form, material, and memory to define a distinct visual and intellectual language. Drawing through the exhibitions presented by Ashvita’s this year—including Light and Legacy: Pre-modern and Plein Air Painting from Madras, Massive, Between Petals and Silence, Contemporary Now, Cholamandal, and The White House by the Sea—this showcase brings together works that embody the city’s evolving artistic narrative. The collection spans from the plein air lyricism of the pre-modern art of Madras to the conceptual experimentation at present, in Chennai. The unifying thread across this diverse selection of paintings, sculptures, and ceramics is the foundational line of the Madras School. It is this element that provides a shared grammar for an otherwise varied visual landscape. We see it in the disciplined structure of minimal works and feel it in the energetic rhythm of more expressive, textured pieces. This "line" is not merely a contour but a guiding principle—a way for artists to investigate material, space, and form with both purposeful restraint and intuitive freedom. It is the signature that connects tradition and experimentation, proving how a single element can anchor a region's entire artistic identity. Seen together, these works form a conversation across generations, where ideas take shape through thoughtful process, quiet intuition, and a deep engagement with line and material. Ashvita’s presentation is both a reflection and a proposition: a look back at a rich artistic legacy and a glimpse into its living future, one that continues to evolve with clarity, conviction, and quiet strength.

Featuring: G. Gurunathan, Jagath Ravi, Premalatha Seshadri +4 more

2025

Ashvita’s is pleased to be part of ARTIX 4.0, India’s first hotel art fair, at Hotel Claridges, New Delhi. For this edition, we are showcasing the works of four important artists from the Madras School of Art: Achuthan Kudallur, G. Raman, P. Perumal and A.P. Santhanaraj. These four voices, distinct in their practice yet deeply rooted in the ethos of the region, offer a compelling entry point into the depth and complexity of modernism from South India. Based in Chennai, Ashvita’s has remained committed to exploring and presenting the legacy of the Madras School. Our exhibitions span over three centuries of art from the region, with a focus on placing individual artists and practices within larger historical and cultural frameworks. Over the years, we have worked towards creating space for both established and emerging voices, while building a wider awareness of South Indian modern and contemporary art. For ARTIX 4.0, we bring together four artists whose work reflects a broad range of concerns — from personal memory and regional identity to formal experimentation and spiritual inquiry. Achuthan Kudallur’s lyrical abstractions reveal his deep engagement with material and colour. G. Raman’s intricate pen-and-ink works draw from myth, ritual and ornamentation. P. Perumal’s paintings celebrate rural life with a bold and playful visual language. A.P. Santhanaraj’s intuitive process and fearless use of line and form reflect his unwavering pursuit of a personal visual language. Together, these artists offer a textured and layered reading of the Madras School. ARTIX reimagines the traditional art fair format by transforming hotel rooms into intimate, curated spaces that encourage slow viewing and conversation. It allows for more meaningful engagement between artists, galleries, collectors and viewers. We are glad to be part of this edition and look forward to sharing the work with new audiences in Delhi who are keen to explore and engage with the evolving story of the Madras School.

Featuring: Achuthan Kudallur, P. Perumal, A.P. Santhanaraj

2025

The Madras Art Movement is traditionally traced back to 1929, when Devi Prasad Roy Chowdhury became the first Indian Principal of the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Madras. Roy Chowdhury had studied in Calcutta under renowned artist-teachers such as Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose. With his dynamic personality and innovative vision, he was well-suited to implement a new academic curriculum at the institution. This curriculum marked a significant shift for the college, transforming it from a craft- and industry-focused institution into one modeled on the Royal College of Art in London. The restructured approach emphasized a Western academic perspective on fine art. While the craft program continued, all students were required to undergo foundational training in fine art before branching into their specializations. With Roy Chowdhury’s leadership, painting and drawing gained prominence within the curriculum, reflecting the influence of modernist ideas. Trained in the Bengal School of Art and inspired by modernist trends from Calcutta, Roy Chowdhury introduced these concepts in Madras. Students were exposed to the works of prominent artists such as Abanindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, Gaganendranath Tagore, and Bombay’s celebrated watercolorists. Foundational training focused heavily on drawing, with first- and second-year students required to take life study classes within the studio. It was in these classes that the “Madras line” emerged—a distinctive quality and style of drawing that would become a hallmark of the movement. Little is known about Roy Chowdhury’s contemporaries among the teaching staff. However, the first generation of students who studied under him between 1930 and 1940 went on to become highly influential teachers in the following decades. This cohort included notable figures such as K.C.S. Paniker, S. Dhanapal, Ram Gopal, Narasimhamurthy, K. Sreenivasulu, G.D. Paul Raj, and Krishna Rao. The curriculum during this period gave rise to two distinct schools of image-making: the first emphasized a strong drawing style rooted in academic rigor, while the second focused on watercolor techniques inspired by the plein air tradition. These approaches laid the foundation for what would later be recognized as the Madras Art Movement. Exhibited here are rare works from the formative years of the Madras School, showcasing the evolving influences of early Bengal modernism, a distinct emphasis on the mastery of line, and the expert use of watercolors. These foundational elements shaped the artistic vocabulary that paved the way for the next generation of artists, who emerged as modern masters in the 1960s.

Featuring: D.P. Roy Chowdhury , K.C.S. Paniker, S. Dhanapal +1 more

2024

Featuring: P. Perumal, G.D. Paulraj, Achuthan Kudallur +3 more

2024

At Artix 3.0, Ashvita's will showcase an exceptional collection from the Madras Art School, featuring works by five notable modern artists: Achuthan Kudallur, Alphonso Arul Doss, G.D. Paul Raj, P. Perumal, and Velu Viswanadhan. Each of these artists has played a crucial role in shaping the Madras art scene, pushing the boundaries of traditional art and making lasting contributions to Indian modern art. Their works represent a bold break from conventional norms, characterized by their use of diverse mediums, forms, and subjects. The artworks reflect their journeys of self-discovery, as they explored and expressed their inner worlds, challenging and expanding the horizons of artistic expression. From Achuthan Kudallur's abstract explorations to Alphonso Arul Doss' vibrant compositions that play with light, G.D. Paul Raj's masterful rural watercolors,P. Perumal's evocative rural landscapes, and Velu Viswanadhan's dynamic,textured canvases—each of these artists has left a lasting impact on modern Indian art. Their influence continues to inspire and shape the work of future generation artists.

Featuring: G.D. Paulraj, P. Perumal, Alphonso Arul Doss +2 more

2023

The modernist practices of art in India are currently understood in silos. It is further complicated because these groupings are staggered across time, separated by geography and driven by concentrated markets. Indian Modern Art is yet to be discussed in totality and organized in sequence of impact. Therefore, it is now important to highlight the ‘third wave’ of modern art that developed in Madras. The first, being the New Bengal School from Calcutta and the second, being the Progressive Artists’ Group from Bombay. Modern Art from Madras is largely centred around two institutions The Government College of Arts & Crafts and The Cholamandal Artists’ Village. The former was instrumental in grooming and educating the artists from the 1940s to the 1960s who in turn became the latter group of visionaries who engaged with modernism in art. While the Calcutta and Bombay artists were engaged with nationalistic and western influences from a pre-independent India, the Madras moderns were more focused on vernacular narratives in conjunction with post-modern western art. The curation of this exhibition focuses on the Madras aesthetic and the evolution of Modern Art in Madras. The works on display represent some of the finest examples by master artists who made groundbreaking contributions to the idea of modernity, thus extending the modern art narrative in India.

Featuring: T.R.P. Mookiah, P. Perumal, Alphonso Arul Doss +6 more