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Tribute to Bhupen Khakhar

Vadodara Aug. 12. A galaxy of artists attended a condolence meeting here yesterday evening to pay their respects to the chartered accountant-turned-painter, Bhupen Khakhar.

Bachelor Khakhar (69), for long considered the `enfant terrible' of contemporary Indian art and a top visual artist, died of cancer on Friday, August 8.

Known for his wit, sardonic humour and biting social satire, he was also a reputed writer and playwright in Gujarati, with several collections of short stories and two important plays, `Mojila Manilal' and `Phoren Soap' to his credit.

The funeral on Saturday was attended by a very large circle of friends from the world of art, literature and theatre, many of them from Ahmedabad, Pune, Mumbai and New Delhi.

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi, and the M.S. University's Faculty of Fine Arts here in Vadodara passed special resolutions. The local official machinery failed to issue a statement or even put in a representational appearance at the funeral.

From his first solo exhibition at the Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay, in 1965, Bhupen Khakhar's work has been exhibited in almost every premiere venue around the world.

He received the Padma Shri in 1984, the Asian Cultural Council Starr Fellowship in 1986 and the Prince Klaus Fund Award in 2000. Khakhar's work is part of several important private and public collections including the NGMA, New Delhi and Mumbai, the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

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