Important Notice

Born in 1920 in Baroda, Sadanand Bakre was among the least known of the members of the Progressive Artists' Group. He was a graduate of the Sir J J School of Art in Mumbai, where he studied sculpture. His talent was recognised and he was encouraged to excel in his art by many, including the leading art critic Rudy von Leyden, who introduced him to the modernist movements in America and Europe. Like many of his generation, Bakre's development as... Born in 1920 in Baroda, Sadanand Bakre was among the least known of the members of the Progressive Artists' Group. He was a graduate of the Sir J J School of Art in Mumbai, where he studied sculpture. His talent was recognised and he was encouraged to excel in his art by many, including the leading art critic Rudy von Leyden, who introduced him to the modernist movements in America and Europe. Like many of his generation, Bakre's development as an artist followed the trajectory of moving from academic realism to abstraction, in his paintings as well as his sculptures.

The decade of the 1960s was one which saw the evolution of Bakre's vocabulary and style. From "spiky forms," he had, by the late 60s, moved to more simplified forms and his interest in structure becomes apparent, as seen in lots 6, 7 and 8. Bright colours are balanced with flat white planes that focus on the architecture in the city or landscape. Walls, domes, roofs and the land are all composed with bold geometric lines that suggest a cubist sensibility.

Bakre's paintings and sculptures were shown and appreciated at several significant galleries in Europe and Mumbai. After time spent in Europe, the artist eventually returned to India in the 1980s and settled down in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, where he died in 2007.

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