S.H Raza

“Maa mein jab laut aaunga, kya launga”, a rudimentary translation of this would be -
“ Mother! What shall I bring back for you when I return”, this epitomizes Syed Haider Raza the artist’s personality as well as his work.

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This is a title of a poem by Ashok Vajpeyi, a close friend and associate of Raza, it resonated with Raza who had left India in 1950 to study Paris and subsequently chose to make it his home. Yet his bond with his motherland only deepened with the distance, his studio was replete with objects from India, including some beautiful sculptural pieces and of course books. His thinking was steeped in Indian philosophy and perhaps the distance gave him the space to explore the nuances and translate it in his works. His frequent trips to India aided this journey of exploration. 

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Not all his travels were eastwards bound, in 1962 he was invited to teach at the University of California, Berkeley, this proved to a pivotal point in his career he was moved by Abstract Expressionism, on his return to Paris, Raza’s canvases exploded with colour and broke free from the confines of the identifiable form. Gradually, over the following decade Raza’s works evolved into his now iconic paintings of “Bindu”  in a style identified as geometric abstraction, or infamously as “tantra painting”. Strictly speaking Raza was not a practitioner of Tantra, nor was his metaphysical musings in that direction – Nature and the plastic order (form and colour) have always been central to his works. But it is these paintings that made Raza a much sought after artist, whose quiet and handsome personality won as many hearts and followers. 

On a personal front, he was married to Janine Mongillat, an artist who passed away in 2002, Raza returned to India in 2010. The Raza foundation was set up by the artist to promote young artists. He has been awarded with Padma Vibhushan among many awards and accolades. His works can be found in the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris, France. British Museum, London, U.K, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France, Asia Socirty, New York and the Peabody Essex Museum, USA.

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He became India's highest priced modern artist in 2010 when his Saurashtra sold for Rs 16.42 crore at a Christie's auction.