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abstract painting in shades of pale purple

Natvar Bhavsar, MRINA, 1978, Dry pigments with oil and acrylic mediums on canvas, 44 x 108 in (111.8 x 274.3 cm)

Abstract painting with three bands of colour, (Left to Right); Brown, burnt orange, dark red

Natvar Bhavsar, Untitled (1968), 1968, Dry pigments with oil and acrylic mediums on canvas, 90 x 68 in (228.6 x 172.7 cm)

abstract acrylic painting in pastel tones

Natvar Bhavsar, VERGAA, 1973-2004, Dry pigments with oil and acrylic mediums on canvas, 108 x 44 in (274.3 x 111.8 cm)

Abstract painting of a seascape in dark blues and greens

Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, Untitled, 1963, Oil on canvas, 50.5 x 35.5 in (128.3 x 90.2 cm)

Husain painting that shows a circus figure with a  yellow face on a brown background

M. F. Husain, Circus Figure with Yellow Face, 1959, Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in (101.6 x 76.2 cm)

Painting of Ganesh playing a musical instrument in gold on a red background

M. F. Husain, Untitled (Ganesh), n/d, Acrylic on canvas, 34.5 x 28.5 in (87.6 x 72.4 cm)

Abstract landscape painting in blue and beige with a large gold frame

M. F. Husain, Mirage, 1963, Oil on wood panel, 49 x 24 in (124.5 x 61 cm)

Group of four abstract paintings in vibrant colours

K. S. Kulkarni, Untitled, 1983, Acrylic on board, 27.5 x 21.5 in each (69.9 x 54.6 cm each)

Geometric figurative painting of a woman in a mix of neon and pastel tones

K. S. Kulkarni, Untitled, 1976, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 44 in (91.4 x 111.8 cm)

Three-headed figure holding a sabre with a donkey and a goat

K. S. Kulkarni, Untitled, 1980, Acrylic on paper, 21 x 13.5 in (53.3 x 34.3 cm)

Abstract vertical landscape, predominantly tan and brown tones with a pop of green in the upper right composition

Ram Kumar, Untitled, 1979, Oil on canvas, 62 x 35 in (157.5 x 88.9 cm)

Abstract painting in browns and dark greens

Ram Kumar, Untitled, 1961, Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in (63.5 x 76.2 cm)

Abstract painting that represents the feeling of a song

S. H. Raza, Cantique, 1971, Acrylic on paper on board, 19.5 x 25.5 in (49.5 x 64.8 cm)

Abstract painting of a countryside landscape from a bird's eye view

S. H. Raza, Paysage, 1965, Oil on canvas, 39.4 x 19.6 in (100 x 49.9 cm)

Six panel artwork by Rekha Rodwittiya depicting a story of Nukata No Okimi and Yayavar

Rekha Rodwittiya, A Chanced Meeting Between Nukata No Okimi and Serendipitous Yayavar, 2004, Oil on canvas, 69 x 216 in (175.3 x 548.6 cm)

Figurative painting of a large headed figure at a confessional booth

Rekha Rodwittiya, The Confessional, 1984. Ink and gouache on paper, 14.5 x 14.5 in (37.5 x 37.5 cm)

Figurative work with a king, a cat, a cow and a pig in a fantasy dreamscape

Rekha Rodwittiya, And It All Falls In The Shadow Of The King, 1984, Ink and gouache on paper, 14.75 x 14.75 in (37.5 x 37.5 cm)

Utsa Hazarika video still

Utsa Hazarika, storm, 2015, Video, 3 min, 20 sec

still from an abstract video artwork

Utsa Hazarika, chorus, 2014, Video, 2 min, 58 sec

Vinod Dave works installed

Vinod Dave, River on Your Right, 1980, Black & white film photograph, 13 x 17 inches

Aicon New York is pleased to present Rockefeller + India, an exhibition of artworks by Indian artists who received grants from the Asian Cultural Council, colloquially known as the Rockefeller Grant. Among the list of careers nurtured by the fund are Natvar Bhavsar, Vinod Dave, Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, M. F. Husain, K. S. Kulkarni, Ram Kumar, S. H. Raza, and Rekha Rodwittiya, whose artworks are on display until the end of July. In addition, Aicon is excited to share video work by grantee Utsa Hazarika who recently participated in the Whitney Museum of American Art’s famed Independent Study Program.

The John D. Rockefeller III Fund was established in 1963 with a mission to strengthen cultural and academic ties between the United States and India. Over the years, the fund has supported several Indian artists, from the inaugural recipient K. S. Kulkarni to artists such as S. H. Raza and M. F. Husain, who played pivotal roles as members of the Progressive Art Group in shaping Indian modernism. Touring parts of the United States as fund recipients facilitated cross-cultural exchange, granting Indian artists the opportunity to interact with their American contemporaries at various times when travel and communication outside of India were particularly challenging. The visual impact of Fund-supported sojourns to the US was highlighted in Aicon's Spring 2023 exhibition, Raza + America, which tracked the famed artist's shift from landscape to abstraction after his time in the United States in 1962. Fellow Progressive Ram Kumar's embrace of abstraction can also be traced to his year abroad. 

Exhibition photography by Sebastian Bach