Next week the time has finally come: a large overview of the Indian artist Amrita Sher-Gil can be seen in the Drents Museum in Assen. The exhibition was actually supposed to open in January, but geopolitical tensions in the Middle East prevented the paintings from traveling.
The uncertainty has now come to an end, says museum director Robert van Langh. “Thanks to the Dutch embassy in India. Together with the Indian government, it has been concluded that it is now safe to fly the pieces to the Netherlands.”
The postponement has nothing to do with the infamous theft of the golden Romanian helmet, he assures. “It was purely about the missiles flying back and forth.”
The overview of one of India’s most important artists can be seen for the first time in the Netherlands. Despite her young age – she died in 1941 when she was only 28 – Amrita Sher-Gil created an impressive oeuvre.
She herself compared her influence on Indian art with the influence that Picasso and Matisse had on European art. Van Langh: “She was phenomenal. You see her whole being reflected in her work. That is beautiful.”
The exhibition Amrita Sher-Gil – ‘Europe is Picasso’s, India is mine’ can be seen in the Drents Museum from May 14 to September 20.
