TESTIMONIALS

“The line is the life force of his work.”

  • H. Goetz, German art historian

  • "The work of Shiavax Chavda provides a lesson in the hallmarks of twentieth century South Asian art. His art education - at the Sir J. J. School of Art, Bombay, the Slade School, London, and the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere, Paris - mirrors that of other important early Indian modernists, and enabled a melding of South Asian traditions with European abstraction. Chavda's dynamic depictions of dancers, animals and landscapes reveal rural themes, an Indian palette and a profoundly modernist understanding of line and form. Sotheby's has been honored to handle the sale of numerous works by Chavda over the years, including the world auction record for the artist, for his 1969 painting Primal power."

    Manjari Sihare, Vice President & Specialist, Head of Sale, Modern and Contemporary South Asian Department, Sotheby’s, New York

  • “Shiavax Chavda's life and works reflect the global circuits of travel and exchange underlying the history of modern art, not only in Asia but also in Europe. From his early years in the western European art circuits, to his pioneering work in India in connection with the Progressive movement, his travels to Singapore and other parts of maritime Asia, as well as the international commissions he received from different parts of the world during his long career reflect just this. These circuits, trajectories and networks also reflect the long history of the Parsi diaspora in Eurasia and maritime Asia, and the world, a history that continues today, highlighting their important roles in mediating regional and global material, economic, and cultural exchanges.”

    Prof. Koh Keng We, Assistant Professor of History, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

  • "In a constant endeavour to capture movement, while concomitantly conveying stillness, Shiavax Chavda developed a distinct visual language. Inspired as much by monumental stone sculptures as by miniature paintings and inflected by the theories of dance as well as the spirituality inherent in all religions, Chavda infused his works with a dynamic vitality. Persistently returning to favoured subjects, Chavda's works are leavened by an acute observation of the commonplace and a masterful manipulation of colour."

    Dr. Savita Apte, Art Historian & Specialist in Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art

  • "Shiavax Chavda belonged to the first generation of modern Indian painters. They emerged just prior to India's independence, at a time when Indian artists had limited exposure to the western art world and were still groping with the concept of modernism in art. Having been trained in the British academic tradition, this change in thinking was even tougher and his contribution needs further acknowledgement."

    Dadiba Pundole, Gallerist