Richard Bartholomew - The Art Critic

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Richard Bartholomew - The Art Critic

Featuring over 250 illustrations and an extensive selection of never-before-seen black-and-white photographs. Raza, M.F. Husain, Tyeb Mehta, F.N.

The Art Critic is an absolute essential for art lovers and enthusiasts keen on an insider’s account of the untold story of Modern Indian Art. Between the 50s and the early 80s Richard Bartholomew wrote relentlessly about Indian art. He challenged institutions like the Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA) and the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) with his provocative questions about the role of the state i

n promoting art; he visited artists' studios, befriended them, and advocated, on their behalf, the need for an aesthetic language that could reflect the modern Indian condition; he curated some of the most prominent shows of art in India and abroad, and, in his capacity as director of Kunika Chemould, the country's first commercial gallery, nurtured some of the finest Indian artists. As a critic for the Indian Express, Times of India, and Thought magazine, Richard was privy to some of definitive moments in the history of Modern Indian art. Seen in retrospect, his massive body of writing on art is prophetic as it harks back to an era when Indian painters such as S.H. Souza, Ram Kumar, and others who were still struggling to break free from the tired, overused idiom of the Bengal school and work within a more nuanced understanding of what constitutes the modern aesthetic; a time when paintings were sold for "the price of a bottle of whiskey or a cotton sari" as Richard recorded in one of his pieces. Abridged from the original, this selected collection offers the contemporary reader a flavor of that birthing period in the history of Modern Indian art in a voice that is authoritative yet accessible, while establishing a standard for critical art writing. Over 10 years in the making, it is both a tribute and a testimony to Richard's overwhelming, though unacknowledged, contribution to the evolution of Modern Indian art and the development of art criticism in India.

29/11/2025

Today!~ Richard Bartholomew at 99.
You have been horrified by what AI could do and write. So here is a taste of the first few lines of a long, AI-written la la la.

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Richard Bartholomew (1926–1985) was an immensely important figure in the Indian Modern Art period, primarily for his work as a highly influential art critic, writer, curator, and institutional builder in post-Independence India. He was not just an observer but an active participant and nurturer of the nascent Modernist movement.
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I remember, to make pocket money, I would take a bus and drop off your reviews at the newspaper office. And sometimes open up the envelope to read. Type-written on an A4 page and no more, always short and concise, cutting through the noise to get to the core issues, critiqued and explained simply for everyone to understand.

📷 © Pablo Bartholomew / All Rights Reserved.

06/07/2024

To your 89th and beyond... a long life his Holliness the 14th Dalai Lama.

At the Kalachakra ceremony, Sarnath, 1990

📷 © Pablo Bartholomew / All Rights Reserved.

14/05/2023

Remembering Rati Bartholomew as a son on Mother's Day.

Mostly, a loving, caring, annoying, irritating, but generous friend. And beyond the initial umbilical corded shackle - at various steps and stages - a nurturer, protector, teacher, companion, part-enemy, and full-time mother.

Expressed better by Tripurari Sharma as a remembrance post her passing on. Have a read: https://thewire.in/the-arts/remembering-rati-bartholomew-yatrik-theatre.

30/04/2023

A Tale of two shows!
At the Sharjah Biennial 2023

Artists in Focus: Pablo Bartholomew speaks about his works at Sharjah Biennial 15 as well as those of his late father, Richard Bartholomew. ‘Affinities’ (195...

14/02/2023

At Sharjah Biennial 15 | Thinking Historically in the Present | Richard Bartholomew | Artist Portraits
Richard Bartholomew's photographs (the 1950s to the 1980s) of himself and his artist friends, many of whom have since passed away and are today acclaimed as part of the who's who of Modern Indian Art
The wall of the Artist's Portrait installation begins with three self-portraits as Painter. Photographer and Art Critic/Writer/Poet.
These 28 Artists Portraits installation is the second part of a two-part work. The display preceding it is called Affinities, the photographs of Richard and Pablo Bartholomew, a play with similar and dissimilar nuances between the father and son, nearly 30 years apart.
This exhibition was created and designed by his son Pablo, a dialogue with his father many years after his death, reflecting on each other work and finding something beyond a simple game of mirrors and sometimes blurs; who is the maker of the image, the father or the son?
The Wikipedia page for .art can be accessed at bit.ly/RLB-wiki, along with other information about the artist.
Come experience this show and much more great work at the Biennale that started on 7 February and will continue till 11 June 2023. This 30th-anniversary edition of the Sharjah Biennial—conceived by the late Okwui Enwezor and curated by the Sharjah Foundation's Director Hoor Al Qasimi in 19 venues in 5 cities and towns across the Emirate of Sharjah: Al Dhaid, Al Hamriyah, Kalba, Khorfakkan and the city of Sharjah.
Free and open to the public. Please visit the website, www.sharjahart.org/, and plan your visit, which may take three days or more to see completely.
📷 © Pablo Bartholomew / All Rights Reserved

08/04/2022

Come watch/participate on Zoom and or YouTube

JD Centre of Art & India International Centre (IIC) presents 255 Meet the Artist with Pablo Bartholomew, the photographer on: art critic, photographer, poet, painter, Richard Bartholomew:
Remembering Richard at 95

6pm (IST), Saturday, 9 April 2022 - Live on Zoom & YouTube

Zoom Link:
https://zoom.us/j/83137583807
Zoom Meeting ID:
83137583807
Live on YouTube:
https://bit.ly/3ke8KzF

More about JDCA:
https://linktr.ee/JDCentreofArt

Note: The zoom link requires a quick registration but the YouTube is a direct watch in...

29/11/2021

Today 29th November 2021, is Richard Bartholomew's 95th birthday and there is no better way in honoring his life and his work than by getting a copy of his book THE ART CRITIC. Preview 70 pages of the book here https://bit.ly/TAC-Prev

B-A-R-T store is back on Amazon India, after a short break to offer at INR 1925.00 plus shipping,, the lowest price anywhere. Click this link and http://bit.ly/RLB_TAC to acquire this book that is a pleasure to read for quality of language, ease of understanding art. Join the countless that have benefited in raising their knowledge on Modern Indian Art. It is the go-to book, an irreplaceable resource used by art institutions, university libraries, museums, art galleries, auction houses, and collectors worldwide.

Featuring over 250 illustrations and including an extensive selection of never-before-seen black-and-white photographs by Richard documenting the art scene, The Art Critic is absolutely essential for art lovers and enthusiasts keen on an insider’s account of the untold story of Modern Indian Art.

For more on the author
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bartholomew

Address

Corniche Street Near Old Sharjah Market Al- Shuwaihiyeen
Sharjah

Website

http://www.richardbartholomew.info/artbook/index.php

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