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Bhupen Khakhar was an iconoclast in the true sense of the word. His open mindedness on a variety of issues, from social sectarianism to his own homosexuality, is reflected in his practice. He began his career in art fairly late in life, at the age of 38. Then a practicing chartered accountant, he joined M.S. University in Baroda to study art criticism. By the late 1960s he was internationally heralded as India's first Pop artist - his... Bhupen Khakhar was an iconoclast in the true sense of the word. His open mindedness on a variety of issues, from social sectarianism to his own homosexuality, is reflected in his practice. He began his career in art fairly late in life, at the age of 38. Then a practicing chartered accountant, he joined M.S. University in Baroda to study art criticism. By the late 1960s he was internationally heralded as India's first Pop artist - his tongue-in-cheek practice appropriating various genres from miniatures to Company Paintings and temple maps.

Khakhar's works address and celebrate the culture of middle class Indians living in urban centers. Tailors, barbers, watch technicians are all depicted in his works with a commitment towards truthful renditions, both visual and narrative. Nonetheless, the fantastical undertones eluded in the bold colours and dark humor tucked in the recesses of daily urban scenes cannot escape a keen eye. His sexual orientation was another theme explicitly explored by the artist through his practice, maintaining the same truthfulness as his other works: unabashedly stating the apparent while mocking those who choose to pretend to ignore it. His commitment to subject matter rather than mere stylistic concerns enabled him to develop a visual codex that impacted the practice of many artists in the years to come.

Speaking about his practice, Timothy Hyman, a friend of Khakhar's and a fellow artist comments, "The false dichotomy that often underlies our current 'global debate', hinges on two rival views of art. One, the old 'Romantic' view, sees all art (but painting especially) as spontaneous expression; through the movement of the brush, the artist lays bare the soul. The second, the new 'postmodern' view, would see art as a language, negotiating much the same social codes and conventions as verbal language. In this dichotomy, the old art is transparent; the new, opaque. But it seems clear to me as I write on Khakhar, that his art conforms to neither position. Perhaps, by the very deliberation of his marks, as well as by his social and narrative emphasis he inclines a little away from the 'Romantic'. And yet his talk of 'the exalted state' could hardly be more Romantic" (Bhupen Khakhar, Chemould Publications and Mapin Publishing, 1998, p. 80).

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