The Rediff Interview/Painter Natvar Bhavsar

Born in Gujarat in 1934, Natvar Bhavsar was 28 when he arrived in the United States to study for a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Pennsylvania. On receiving his degree in 1965, Bhavsar moved to New York City where he became a witness to, and a participant in, the great cultural flowering of the time � in dance, music, and painting.

For three decades he has lived in Soho and watched the neighbourhood become a symbol of New York's celebrated art world. In some ways his story mirrors the story of the neighbourhood. From his first show there in the late 1960s to his latest exhibition of small pictures, Bhavsar's work has embodied some of the vast currents that transformed Abstract Expressionism into the pre-eminent movement of the age.

In person he is an extremely gracious interviewee. He spoke for more than three hours to Jeet Thayil on a day when a wrenched back made it difficult for him to sit for any length of time without discomfort. This interview was conducted partly in the Sundaram Tagore gallery, and partly at Bhavsar's home-studio next door.

Read the entire article, written by Jeet Thayil, by clicking here.

Book on painter Natvar Bhavsar by noted historian released in N.Y.

The inner circle of art in New York City, which in the years immediately after World War II replaced Paris as the art capital of the world, in an informal ceremony last week placed its crown of recognition around the brows of a man born in the obscure Gujarat village of Gothava in 1934 and who came to the United States in 1962 to study art at the University of Pennsylvania.

Read the entire article, written by Jyotirmoy Datta for News Times India in New York, by clicking here.

2 shows in Europe and a book from Down Under feature the art of Natvar Bhavsar

It is ironic that while there has been not a single show of Natvar Bhavsar's works in India since he came to the United States in 1962, not one but two solo shows by the New York-based artist are scheduled in Europe for the last quarter of 1997.

The first of these, in Badragaz in Switzerland at Gallery B of the Badragaz Grand Hotel, will run from Oct. 21 through Dec. 14.

Read the entire article, written for India in New York by Jyotirmoy Datta for the News Times India, by clicking here.

Fireworks in a dark sky

The name Natvar Bhavsar, whose art works are on display once again in New York's art town Soho, may not ring a bell in India except, perhaps, in his homestate of Gujarat where he was a school drawing master but in the art circles of America he is known as an one of a kind colorist who creates abstract designs that shimmer and explode like fireworks on a dark sky.

Read the entire article, written by R. Chakrapani for The Hindu, by clicking here.

Painter's Philosophy 'Goal beyond Objects'

Natvar Bhavsar's paintings seem dematerialized. They are silent color-presences, incredibly responsive to light-change - almost one suspects to changes in atmosphere. One of his recent large paintings faced us in his studio while we talked, and each time I looked at it, it appeared to have undergone some subtle but total transformation.

Read the entire article, by Christopher Andreae for The Christian Science Monitor, by clicking here.