English
Indian artist Jogen Chowdhury, one of the most celebrated figures in contemporary Indian art, died in Kolkata on October 25 at the age of 87. His family confirmed that he had been suffering from a rare form of blood cancer.
A Life Dedicated to Indian Art
Chowdhury trained at the Government College of Art & Craft in Kolkata from 1955 to 1960. He later studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris during the 1960s. Those years abroad shaped his artistic vision in lasting ways.
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He belonged to a second generation of postcolonial Indian artists who fundamentally reshaped the country’s contemporary art scene. While many of his peers embraced abstraction, Chowdhury took a different path. In a late 2020 interview with The Punch Magazine, he recalled that during the 1960s and 1970s, “many of our major artists were fond of doing abstract art, thinking that it was ‘Modern’ and the ultimate expression of art.”
Instead, Chowdhury pursued figurative expressionism. He became widely known for his distinctive cross-hatching technique, which he used to distort and reimagine the human body. His work blended Western modernist influences with local Indian artistic traditions, creating a style that was entirely his own.
Recognition and Legacy
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari paid tribute to the artist following his death. “Chowdhury’s rich contributions in the field of art are evident in numerous government buildings,” Adhikari said. “The works he left behind will remain for centuries.”
His paintings appear in government buildings and public collections across India. As a result, his influence extends well beyond the gallery world. He helped define what contemporary Indian art could look like in the postcolonial era.
Other News in the Art World
Meanwhile, a major work by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt is heading to auction at Christie’s New York next month. The painting, Litzlbergkeller (1915–1916), carries a pre-sale estimate of $60 million to $80 million and carries a guarantee of sale. Christie’s has scheduled the auction for November 17.
The lush green landscape has remained in the same private collection for nearly three decades. Its current owner paid $14.7 million for it at Sotheby’s in 1997, a sum equivalent to approximately $30.9 million today. Max Carter, global chairman of 20th and 21st century art at Christie’s, described the work as sitting “between Klimt’s allover technique and abstraction, form and dissolution, prewar certainties and the unknown.” For context, Klimt’s current auction record stands at $236.4 million, set in November 2025 when Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer (1914–16) sold at Sotheby’s New York.
In Singapore, the National Gallery is facing a significant leadership shake-up. Chief curator Patrick Flores and assistant chief executive Chris Lee are both leaving the institution in December. Their departures coincide with that of chief executive and director Eugene Tan.
In Germany, around 600 Nazi-era artifacts will go to museums rather than auction houses, following an international outcry. The items include personal letters from concentration camps and index cards kept by the Gestapo. Also, British Indian art expert Charles Greig donated 50 artworks made in India during the 18th and 19th centuries to the Tate. Furthermore, Sotheby’s announced its first auction in Abu Dhabi, titled Breaking Ground, scheduled for December 10 at the Saadiyat Grove Experience Centre on Saadiyat Island.
Finally, archaeologists announced the discovery of a rare 15th-century shipwreck believed to be the oldest known Swedish warship ever found.
