Ashvita’s has opened Modern: A Way of Looking, an exhibition that invites audiences to engage with Indian Modern art beyond the gallery walls, bringing together significant artworks, books, archival material and conversations that offer a closer understanding of the artists and ideas that shaped the movement. The exhibition, which opened to the public on 30 October, will be on view at Ashvita’s Flagship in Chennai until 19 December 2026.
Featuring works by some of India’s most significant modern artists, including M.F. Husain, F.N. Souza, Jyoti Bhatt, Nilima Sheikh and Thota Vaikuntam, among others, the exhibition focuses predominantly on works from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Bringing together artists from different generations, regions and artistic schools, it offers an opportunity to look at the many strands of Indian Modernism and the diverse practices that contributed to its evolution.
A central thought behind Modern: A Way of Looking is to encourage audiences to understand what Modern art really represents. Often, the word ‘modern’ is used loosely to describe anything new or contemporary. The exhibition, however, looks at Modernism as an important artistic movement, shaped by particular historical, cultural and social contexts. In doing so, it moves beyond the more familiar narratives around the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group and the Delhi art scene, drawing attention to artistic practices that emerged from Baroda, Ahmedabad, Santiniketan and southern India as well.
What makes the exhibition particularly distinctive is the way it has been conceived. Alongside the artworks, Ashvita’s has brought together artist monographs, art books, exhibition catalogues and archival material, creating a space where visitors can spend time reading, discovering and making connections with the works on display. The library is an integral part of the experience, allowing visitors to sit down, browse through publications and explore the stories and artistic journeys behind the works.
The selection has also been put together with Chennai’s collecting audience in mind. Rather than focusing exclusively on large or high-value works, the exhibition includes smaller works and different mediums, offering collectors opportunities to engage with and acquire works by established modern masters at varied price points.
The larger intention is to make the history of Indian Modern art more approachable, particularly for students, younger audiences and those beginning to explore art collecting. Through a combination of artworks, books, music, talks and educational initiatives, the exhibition hopes to bridge the gap between simply viewing a work and understanding the context behind it. Special book initiatives also aim to make art publications more accessible to a wider audience.
Extending this idea of learning through conversation, Ashvita’s also hosted The History of Modern Indian Art, a talk by art historian and founder of Ashvita’s - Ashvin E. Rajagopalan, on 30 October at its Flagship space. The conversation offered audiences an opportunity to explore the development of Indian Modern art and the historical and artistic contexts that shaped it, adding another dimension to the exhibition’s larger objective of making art history accessible and encouraging informed engagement with the works on view.
At its heart, Modern: A Way of Looking is an invitation to slow down, look more closely and discover the stories behind the art. Through the coming weeks, Ashvita’s hopes to create a space where students, collectors, artists and art enthusiasts can come together to explore, question and develop their own understanding of Indian Modernism.
Built around the thought ‘See. Read. Understand. Collect.’, the exhibition encourages visitors to approach art not just as something to be viewed, but as something to be explored and understood.
The exhibition is now open to the public.
When: Ongoing till December 30, 2026; 4-7pm
Where: Ashvita’s Flagship, Chennai
