Tyeb Mehta

One of the most famous Indian modern artists, Tyeb Mehta (1925- 2009) is often credited for generating interest of both local and global contemporary art lovers. Born in Gujarat, India and after working as a film editor in a cinema laboratory at Famous Studios, he got a diploma in Fine Art from the Sir JJ School of Art. He was a part of the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group and also belonged to the first generation of post-colonial artists in India.

Reflecting and assimilating from the places he lived in, during his time in London, Mehta was inspired by the expressionist work of Francis Bacon. Apparently, after moving to New York he drifted towards a minimalistic style. During the entirety of his career, he created several common sights among which poor rickshaw pullers and trussed bulls were common to a lot of his notable oeuvre.

After being stuck in a creative block, Mehta had the idea of his greatest series when he painted a black diagonal brushstroke onto his canvas to relieve his frustration. This laid the foundation of his diagonal series in which he expressed two simultaneous stories divided by a diagonal line. His practice was affected by being a witness to the India-Pakistan partition violence, representing visuals of anguish on matt surfaces.

Being a part of famous progressives and well-renowned among the international art fraternity, Tyeb Mehta had been the recipient of reputed awards like the Padma Bhushan, Kalidas Samman and the Dayawati Modi Foundation Award for Art, Culture, and Education. He held the record for being the most expensive Indian artist, drawing the attention of both national and international art enthusiasts. One of his Untitled works sold for a whopping amount of INR 26.4 crores at a past auction by Saffronart.