PNN
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 30: Prominent art collector and connoisseur Vivek Abrol was among the distinguished guests at Conversations with Chai, a heartfelt memorial event commemorating the birth centenary of legendary Indian modernist Tyeb Mehta, held at the Jehangir Art Gallery on Saturday evening. Hosted by the Tyeb Mehta Foundation in collaboration with the Saffronart Foundation, the evening drew an engaged audience of artists, scholars, collectors, and students from across the country.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Abrol reflected on Mehta’s timeless significance: “Tyeb Mehta’s work is more than just art–it’s a mirror held up to society’s deepest ruptures and longings. His ability to evoke raw emotion through stark form and colour continues to inspire both collectors and thinkers alike.”
The evening’s centrepiece was the Annual Memorial Lecture delivered by noted poet and cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote, whose eloquent address explored the aesthetic, philosophical, and political undercurrents in Mehta’s oeuvre. Mr. Abrol, responding to the talk, remarked: “Ranjit has the rare gift of translating the unspoken language of a canvas into words. His reading of Mehta’s moral imagination brought the artist vividly to life.”
Adding a deeply personal dimension to the program, Yusuf Tyeb, the artist’s son, shared rare stories from the family’s archive, illuminating Mehta’s early years, his influences, and his quiet resilience. The atmosphere in the gallery was one of reverence and emotional intimacy, qualities that Mr. Abrol said are increasingly rare in today’s fast-paced art world: “Events like these are essential–they root us in legacy and remind us that collecting art is also about collecting meaning.”
The evening also featured the release of a limited-edition portfolio of thirteen prints, selected by Sakina Mehta, spanning six decades of the artist’s practice–from his early trussed bulls and rickshaw pullers to his later, iconic falling figures. The works serve as a powerful timeline of Mehta’s evolving visual language, marked by tension, dignity, and a distilled poignancy that continues to define Indian modernism.
Also announced was a series of scholarships for students of Sir J.J. School of Art, a fitting tribute to Mehta’s alma mater and a gesture that resonated deeply with Mr. Abrol: “It’s a beautiful continuity–to honour Tyeb Mehta by supporting young artists. That’s how legacy becomes living tradition.”
As tea was served and conversations flowed late into the evening, Conversations with Chai became more than a memorial–it became a moment of shared memory, insight, and renewed commitment to the arts. For discerning attendees like Vivek Abrol, the event was both a tribute to the past and a quiet investment in the future of Indian art.
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