A Landmark Exhibition with Great Banyan Art, showcasing 100+ works on Paper across Centuries at Bikaner House, New Delhi
Great Banyan Art announces an exciting exhibition titled Paper Alchemy: Tracing Memories Through Time, a historic presentation of a private collection of works on paper. For the first time, over 100 rare and iconic artworks from the 18th to the 21st century will be on view from April 25 to 30, 2025 at Bikaner House, New Delhi.
Fragility and Power of Paper with Great Banyan Art
From the Mughal-era miniatures to modernist experiments and contemporary expressions, Paper Alchemy is flipping through the profound role of paper in Indian art in this exhibition.
This delicate yet enduring material has served as a foundation for a wide range of practices—absorbing pigment, gesture, memory, and emotion—while offering their respective artists an intimate and transformative space for their storytelling.
Image Courtesy- Great Banyan Art
Featuring Over 40 Artists Across Generations
Great Banyan Art brings together an extraordinary concoction of over 40 artists who have shaped India’s art history, this list includes:
Image Courtesy- Great Banyan Art
- Colonial and Early Modern Masters like Thomas & William Daniell, James Prinsep, William Hodges
- Nationalist and Revivalist Voices of Indian art, Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose
- Modernist Icons like the infamous M.F. Husain, F.N. Souza, H.A. Gade, Ramkinkar Baij, Shyamal Dutta Ray, Rabin Mondal
- Contemporary Innovators that are presently practicing in the Indian art scene like Atul Dodiya, Anju Dodiya, Jagannath Panda, Rameshwar Broota, Amit Ambalal, Anupam Sud
Image Courtesy- Great Banyan Art
Being able to circumvent the pivotal movements in Indian art like the Company School, Bengal School, Progressive Artists’ Group, Madras Group, and Contemporary Practices, the exhibition at the Great Banyan Art draws connections across time and artistic philosophies of Indian art.
Diversity in technique with Great Banyan Art’s Paper Alchemy
Image Courtesy- Great Banyan Art
Paper is so diverse that any medium can be used on it. Watercolor, gouache, tempera, acrylic, etching, lithography, acquaint, serigraphy and photography, all of these techniques can be demonstrated on paper.
Paper is versatile and has its own emotional resonance. Whether it is details of historical prints or bold modern abstractions, each framed display tells a story rooted in specific time and place.
Reflecting history with Paper Alchemy
Image Courtesy- Great Banyan Art
At its heart, Paper Alchemy is a celebration of storytelling, rekindling cultural memory, and promoting artistic experimentation. For the visitors , the show is curated to be a reflection on the medium’s dynamic paradoxes: its fragility, strength, its immediacy, endurance. The entire exhibition poses powerful questions on the medium itself, questions like:
- How does a material so delicate carry centuries of history?
- What personal and collective memories are preserved through its surface?
- How do artists transform paper into vessels of social and political expression?
About Great Banyan Art
Founded in 2004 by Neeraj and Radhika Batra, Great Banyan Art has grown into one of India’s most significant private art institutions. The collection includes works by Indian greats such as F.N. Souza, Tyeb Mehta, V.S. Gaitonde, Amrita Sher-Gil, and M.F. Husain.
Under the curatorial leadership of their daughter, Sonali Batra, the gallery has expanded its global vision, presenting groundbreaking exhibitions and collaborating with leading institutions including Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Saffronart.
Great Banyan Art is also the co-founder of The Third Estate Advisory, an initiative promoting art education and public engagement with artistic heritage.
Feature Image Courtesy- Great Banyan Art/Anupam Sun
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