DELHI-NCR

By Raman Sehgal & Rajan Sehgal

Note From The Founder-Director's

The Amar Nath Sehgal Private Collection at J-23, Jungpura,New Delhi, once the live studio of my late father, Amar Nath Sehgal, is both an exhibition and overall ollective of his work spanning over his sixty year long artistic journey. It not only catalogues but also celebrates his creative accomplishments while presenting to the public eye the varied mediums that they were expressed in.

While the collection housed at the studio provides a glimpse into the artitst’s vast body of sculptural work, several of his larger exhibits can be viewed at various locations in and around Delhi, a city that became his home after the Partition and which he grew to love deeply. Therefore I felt it important to catalogue these larger public and privately held installations, for the information of the interested art lover who may wish to further explore the work of the artist.

Note From The Founder-Director Compiling this catalogue posed quite a challenge as the sculptures were in varied hands, having been sold by the artist to government agencies, corporates and private collectors over the years. Accessing them was not easy and, at times, quite disheartening. Some occupied the place of pride, few
had fallen into disrepair and a couple simply disappeared due to negligence and apathy for the arts. On the positive side, it afforded us the opportunity to repair and restore the damaged works for art enthusiasts to appreciate and enjoy.

At the root of each sculpture lies an inspirational spark that stirred the artist’s emotions and triggered his creativity and self expression at that moment of time. I hope with this catalogue and the collection at J-23, we have succeeded in rekindling the creative thought and stimulus that was born to fruition within this very studio and made possible a greater understanding of the creative spirit of Amar Nath Sehgal.

  • Rising-Tide Rising Tide

    Rising Tide, bronze, 1969

    The Ford Foundation, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

    Rising Tide

    “He does not use technique and media just for an aesthetic indulgence but for conveying urgent message by suitably adopting media and form to his sensitive vision. He is an expressionist; for everything he does is evocative and emotive. In the skillful blending of his craftsmanship with expressive treatment of the media, the spirit seems to step out of the forms, forms that vibrate with meaning, substance and significance.”

    – P.N Mago, Amar Nath Sehgal, Lalit Kala Akademi, 1993

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    Rising-Tide

    Rising Tide, bronze, 1969

    Rising-Tide

    Rising Tide at Ford Foundation, New Delhi

  • Flight

    Flight, bronze, 1959

    Akbar Bhavan, Chanakya Puri, New Delhi

    Flight

    “This piece climaxes the experiment which had begun with showing movement by scooping out hollows. The linear rhythm would have gained by titling the torso lower than the head. All the same, like an angel passing silently before one, the bird flies off across the heart of the sky, on the permanent emptiness of space which is the counterpart of mobility itself.”

    – Mulk Raj Anand, Amar Nath Sehgal, Marg Publications, 1964

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    Flight, bronze, 1980s

    Flight, bronze, 1959

  • floating-nymph Floating Nymph

    Floating Nymph, bronze, 1973

    The Ford Foundation, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

    Floating Nymph

    “In order that the unconscious feelings may come to the surface, I as a sculptor start with a form which is just hazy on the conscious level. But as I steadily progress with the work it defines itself concretely. Such forms are very often more or less abstract in character and are capable of conveying a mood or a feeling.”

    – Amar Nath Sehgal, Sculpture Becoming, Indian Sculptor, 1961.

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  • cries-unheard National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

    Cries Unheard, bronze, 1958

    National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

    Museum Collection

    “The problem concerning the sculptor is cheifly to construct in material the form that conveys a mood, a feeling and an attitude. But when the feelings are not clear and well defined, it is through hard and concentrated effort that they are diagnosed and their meaning properly understood.”

    – Amar Nath Sehgal, Sculpture Becoming, Indian Sculptor, 1961.

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    cries-unheard

    Cries Unheard, bronze, 1958
    “The powerful sculpture Tyranny was to be a phase in the next significant piece Cries Unheard (1958). The abstraction here is in flat rhythmical planes. The previous elongated forms are retained. The spatial relations of the three forms are intimate and give the feeling of a chorus against the empty background.Monumental in its structure, the building up of the forms is almost architectonic. The clarity of the whole is enhanced by the economy of materials, by the near complete disintegration of mass, the spiritual distortion and the brilliant use of the hollows to bring out the force of the upraised arms”

    - Mulk Raj Anand, Amar Nath Sehgal, Marg Publications, 1964

    cries-unheard-1

    Indian artist in Lutzowplatz, Der Ausschnitt, Berlin, 1965

    Hamara Akash

    Hamara Akash, bronze, 1980
    "The sky is ours —(...) It shows a bird like form carrying the space-the moon and stars, akin to the post of Shiva in cosmic dance. Entitled ‘Hamara Akash’, it is inspired by India’s flights in pursuit of the conquest of space."

    - Amar Nath Sehgal

    Hunger

    Hunger, bronze, 1962
    “He does not use technique and media just for an aesthetic indulgence but for conveying urgent message by suitably adopting media and form to his sensitive vision. He is an expressionist;for, everything he does is evocative and emotive. In the skillful blending of his craftsmanship with expressive treatment of the media, the spirit seems to step out of the forms, forms that vibrate with meaning, substance and significance."

    - P.N Mago, Amar Nath Sehgal, Lalit Kala Akademi, 1993

    hunger

    The bronze sculpture, Hunger was displayed at Haus am Lutzowpltz in 1965.

    cries-unheard-3

    The bronze sculpture, Hunger was displayed at Haus am Lutzowpltz in 1965.

    Anguished Cries, bronze, 1971
    “Anguished Cries is a multiform group, put together in a remarkable expressionist technique, which gives organic relationships to the hollows as against the well-lit surface masses. The linking of one form with the other, create a superb interplay of tragic shrillness, a drama of pain without hysteria.”

    - Mulk Raj Anand, Amar Nath Sehgal, Marg Publications, 1964

    tyranny-of-colonization

    Tyranny of Colonization, bronze, 1958
    “Tyranny reverts back to the surrealist world which Amar Nath Sehgal shares with Giacometti, except that realism mars the unity of the dispersed forms in space, by a kind of visible binding line of the chain.

    - Mulk Raj Anand, Amar Nath Sehgal, Marg Publications, 1964

    Flute Player

    Fluteplayer, bronze, 1960
    “The struggle to achieve abstraction and yet to remain near the suggestion of figure, has obviously come after Fragrance (1958). The hollows were used here to create the feeling of echo, while the agitated hands on the curved flute supply a dramatic concept woven into the eager head.”

    - Mulk Raj Anand, Amar Nath Sehgal, Marg Publications, 1964

    The Tortured

    The Tortured, bronze, 1960

    Crushing Burden

    The Crushing Burden, bronze, 1962
    “It portrays the sculptor, Amar Nath Sehgal’s agony over the still unsolved problem of population explosion, especially in this country. (...) His composition shows mother earth being crushed under the burden of burgeoning humanity."

    the-crushing-burden

    ‘Crushing Burden’ was unveiled at the IInd World Conference on Population in Mexico City, 1985. Press clipping from Die Warte, 1997

    head-with-horns-national-gallery

    Artwork: Head with Horns, bronze, 1960s
    Head with Horns conceptualizes those who endanger peace and commit aggression. As all hostilities are born out of animal instinct, the display of this banality by human beings depicts their inner urge for hostility and destruction. “We must identify and segregate them and curb this aggressive instinct to ensure peace”, says Sehgal. This work was dedicated to the International Year of Peace - 1996.

    head-with-horns-1

    Sculpture of Amar N Sehgal dedicated to the International Year of Peace. Press clipping from Luxembourg Wort, 1986

  • the-captive The Captive

    The Captive, bronze, 1986

    India International Center, New Delhi

    The Captive

    “…this work entitled Captive, provides the opportunity for us to reiterate the United Nations opposition to the apartheid regime and to renew my appeal to the South African government for the release of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners, and speeding-up of the process of a negotiated settlement of the conflict of Southern Africa.”

    – Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary General United Nations, 1986

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    the-captive

    The Captive, bronze, 1986

  • the-dragon The Dragon

    The Dragon, bronze, 1963

    Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts, New Delhi

    The Dragon

    The Dragon brings out the overpowering tendency on the part of man to exploit, economically or politically the down-trodden masses of the world. This work took him four years to complete.

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    the-dragon

    The sculptures Dragon and Hunger on display, Frankfurt, Germany, 1964. Press clipping from Der Lokale Teil, 1964

  • floating Floating

    Floating, bronze, 1970

    Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts, New Delhi

    Floating

    “While working to create forms, the unconscious experiences tuned to some up and direct the works to a particular flow of forms. The conscious mind then accepts them and sorts out the forms aesthetically satisfying.”

    – Amar Nath Sehgal, Sculpture Becoming, Indian Sculptor, 1961

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    floating

    The sculpture, Floating, was displayed in Luxembourg in 1975

  • nari The Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi

    Nari, bronze, 1986

    The Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi

    The Oberoi Collection

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    nari

    Nari, bronze, 1986
    Nari symbolizes woman in essence without depicting her physical contours. It is an integrated form, with graceful movement and flow of lines, moving upwards, with an ecstasy and inner strength. The figure is in communion with the Universe opening on the top, to offer her all to the whole Akaash above. Nari with its own rhythm radiates into the environment, with simplicity, charm and grace...

    lovers

    Lovers, 1986
    Through the sculpture of the Past, my sculpture has a rhythm. The rhythm of life is eternal. (…) in order to create, the sculptor has to become one with his material, seeking to petrify his emotions or his mental ideal right through the long, laborious process of creation.

    head-with-horns

    Head with Horns, bronze 1960
    Head with Horns conceptualizes those who endanger peace and commit aggression. As all hostilities are born out of animal instinct, the display of this banality by human beings depicts their inner urge for hostility and destruction. We must identify and segregate them and curb this aggressive instinct to ensure peace, says Sehgal. This work was deciated to the International Year of Peace – 1996.

    Alap, bronze, 1983

    Alap, bronze, 1983
    The masses and surfaces of these sculptures, twisting and moving, rising and falling, convexing and concaving, are assimilated into the system of vibrational field to transform the feelings of the spectator. In his large piee Alap, the feeling is conceryed with a flourish through its rhythemic rise and fall of the moving surface, enhancing the expressive power of the plastic form.

    - P.N. Mago

    rai-bahadur-ms-oberoi

    Rai Bahadur M.S. Oberoi, bronze, undated

    shyness

    Shyness, bronze, 1962

  • aiming-for-excellence Aiming for Excellence

    Aiming for Excellence, bronze, 1985

    Yamuna Sports Complex, Delhi

    Aiming for Excellence

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    aiming-for-excellence

    Aiming for Excellence, bronze, 1985

    aiming-for-excellence

    The mould of the sculpture Aiming for Excellence at the artist studio.

  • friends Friends

    Friends, bronze, 1988

    The Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, New Delhi

    Friends

    It is a great honour that the Luxembourg Embassy in Delhi has been given a collection of fascinating works of art on loan by the family of the renowned artist Amar Nath Sehgal.

    This generous gesture is particularly meaningful as we currently celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Luxembourg and India. These seven decades of friendship have been marked by people like Amar Nath Sehgal and his family. Moving to the Grand Duchy in 1979/80, Mr. Sehgal’s extraordinary work contributed to the strengthening of bonds between both countries while promoting cultural diversity through the “Creative Fund”, the artist established during his Luxembourg years. His bust of Mahatma Gandhi in the Municipal Park in Luxembourg-City is till this very day a landmark for every Indian in Luxembourg. With his departure in 2004, the artist has left a remarkable heritage in Luxembourg with numerous sculptures, paintings and drawings in private and public collections.

    The bronze sculpture The Friends, an impressive, poignant work of art, one of the 10 artworks on loan in the Embassy is a beautiful sign of the attachment the artist had with his European base. The genius and the expressiveness of Amar Nath Sehgal are rooted in Indian history. His humanity and strong involvement in advocating nonviolence and peace through his art and life remain a vibrant legacy till today.

    –  Jean Claude Kugener, Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to India, January 2019

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  • the-ganesha-series The Ganesha Series

    The Ganesha Series, print on paper, 1991

    The Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, New Delhi

    The Ganesha Series

    My father, Amar Nath Sehgal lived and worked in Luxembourg for more than two decades. Luxembourg gave him a home and brought colour into his art. The gold, copper and rust hues of autumn seeped into his otherwise grey and blue pastel works in the 1980’s and remained in them till the end of his life. His last retrospective at the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts, New Delhi, Epic Episodes celebrated the great Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata in the warm autumn and fresh summer colours of Luxembourg. It is hence truly befitting to carry forward his love for the country that was his muse, home and inspiration for nearly 25 years. As a symbol of my father’s friendship with Luxembourg, the Amar Nath Sehgal Private Collection is honoured to loan the bronze sculptures, Friends and Head with Horns, four serigraphs from the iconic Ganesha series and four untitled pastel work on paper that the artist completed during his time in Luxembourg to the Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, India.

    – Raman Sehgal

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  • the-cynic The Cynic

    The Cynic, bronze, 1990

    Dabur House, New Delhi

    The Cynic

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    the-cynic

    The Cynic, bronze, 1990

  • lovers-bronze Lovers

    Lovers, bronze, 1980

    Dabur House, New Delhi

    Lovers

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    lovers

    Lovers, bronze, 1980

  • ballerina Ballerina

    Ballerina, bronze, 1995

    Dabur House, New Delhi

    Ballerina

    The struggle to achieve abstraction and yet to remain near the suggestion of figure, has obviously come after Fragrance (1958). The hollows were used here to create the feeling of echo, while the agitated hands on the curved flute supply a dramatic concept woven into the eager head.

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  • tree-of-love Tree of Love

    Tree of Love, sculpture mould in the Modern Art Foundry, New York, 1980

    Society for Development Alternatives, New Delhi

    Tree of Love

    Amar Nath Sehgal had a special relationship with Development Alternatives. He cared for our dedication to a better, more caring and loving society and he helped us create unique products specifically for artists. The Tree of Love now firmly ensconced at our headquarters is a tribute to our mutual appreciation.

    – Ashok Khosla, Chairman, Development Alternatives, New Delhi

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    tree-of-love

    Tree of Love, Society for Development Alternatives, New Delhi

  • vigyan-bhavan-annexe Bronze Mural

    Installation of the mural work, Vigyan Bhavan, 1962

    FROM THE ARCHIVE – Vigyan Bhavan Annexe, New Delhi

    Bronze Mural

    I had the pleasure of seeing the bronze mural in Vigyan Bhavan by Shri Amar Nath Sehgal. It has impressed me as a very fine piece of work which conveys an impression of life in India; the farmers toiling in the fields as well as enjoying their periods of leisure. The rhythmic beauty of this mural which is a sense of joy is the outstanding impression which one receives on seeing it.(…) This is a unique piece of art work the like of which does not exist in this country.

    – M.S Randhawa, Advisor-Natural Resources and Scientific Research, Planning Commission, Government of India, 1962

    One of the most ambitious works of Sehgal is on the mural on the inner wall of Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. The metal used here weighed approximately three tons. The moulding of it into recognizable symbols of the variegated life of India, was an enormous task, in view of the fact that it had to be projected from the wall about four inches, in order to show off the montage to effect. Also the lyrical flow of one form into another, within the limits of figurative representation, required a high talent for mobility, balance and grace. Sehgal has been able to achieve a vision of the crowded life of India without overcrowding in crystal clear forms, which hang on the wall and move the spectator to the top, where a symbolic aeroplane flies off into the sky-this last symbol was not emphasized sufficiently and therefore, makes the mural dominantly of the past of India without projecting the future. The materials, are however, handled by almost a futurist.

    – Mulk Raj Anand, 1964

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    vigyan-bhavan-annexe

    Installation of the mural work, Vigyan Bhavan, 1962

    vigyan-bhavan-annexe

    Installation of the mural work, Vigyan Bhavan, 1962

    vigyan-bhavan-annexe

    Installation of the mural work, Vigyan Bhavan, 1962

    vigyan-bhavan-annexe

    A visit by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the Vigyan Bhavan, 1962

    vigyan-bhavan-annexe

    A visit by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the Vigyan Bhavan, 1962

  • monument-on-aviation Monument on Aviation

    Monument to Aviation at New Delhi Airport, bronze

    FROM THE ARCHIVE – Palam Airport, Delhi

    Monument on Aviation

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    monument-on-aviation

    Bronze Sculpture at Delhi Airport, The Statesman, undated

    monument-on-aviation

    Preparing the mould of the sculpture in the studio