Message

Preface by Ashok Vajpeyi

Sayed Haider Raza would have turned one-hundred years old on 22 February 2022. We are delighted to see that the most comprehensive and the largest-ever exhibition of his works is taking place in the internationally renowned and prestigious Centre Pompidou in Paris. Raza spent two-thirds of his life in Paris and Gorbio, and it is most appropriate that a show of such magnitude and magnificence take place in Paris. It hopefully would enable an international audience, despite the Covid-19 pandemic still raging, to see and appreciate a major Indian artist’s works, chosen from a wide range, executed over six decades.

The book has six specially written essays and a selection of essays or extracts written over the years by eminent critics both in India and Europe. A small selection from Raza’s own writings, his notebook and letters have also been included, besides letters from his close artist-friends. A note on his artist-wife Janine Mongillat and another on his last days in Delhi have been added to complete a comprehensive view of a very rich and inspiring life.

We are deeply honoured to have the Foreword of this publication written by the President of the Centre Pompidou, Monsieur Laurent Le Bon. A lot of effort has gone into putting together the show and this publication. We do hope that they would encourage and provoke many to view the Raza repertoire in its vast complexity and to understand how rich and varied, intense and insightful the œuvre has been. Borrowing words from Rilke, one could say: For Raza, his art has been “the small piece of pure humanity” and yet his own heart has been “too vast to be contained there.”

Ashok Vajpeyi Life and Managing Trustee The Raza Foundation, New Delhi