Raman Siva Kumar (born 3 December 1956), known as R. Siva Kumar, is an Indian contemporary

art historian Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

, and

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

. His major research has been in the area of early Indian modernism with special focus on the Santiniketan School. He has written several important books, lectured widely on modern Indian art and contributed articles to prestigious international projects such as the '' Art Journal'',

Grove Art Online ''Grove Art Online'' is the online edition of ''The Dictionary of Art'', often referred to as the ''Grove Dictionary of Art'', and part of Oxford Art Online, an internet gateway to online art reference publications of Oxford University Press, ...

or ''

The Dictionary of Art ''Grove Art Online'' is the online edition of ''The Dictionary of Art'', often referred to as the ''Grove Dictionary of Art'', and part of Oxford Art Online, an internet gateway to online art reference publications of Oxford University Press, ...

'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. He was awarded the Kesari puraskaram for art writing by the

Lalit Kala Akademi The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art (LKA) is India's national academy of fine arts. It is an autonomous organisation, established in New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, in ...

, Kerala in 2010. He has also curated major exhibitions like Santiniketan: The Making of a Contextual Modernism, and The Last Harvest : Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore and retrospectives of important Indian artists, such as

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

Benode Behari Mukherjee Benode Behari Mukherjee (7 February 1904 – 11 November 1980) was an Indian artist from West Bengal state. Mukherjee was one of the pioneers of Indian modern art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism. He was one of the earliest artists in mod ...

(co-curated with

Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh (born 16 February 1937) is a painter, poet and art critic from Gujarat, India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1983 and Padmabhushan in 2014 for his contribution in field of art. Early life Sheikh was born on 16 Febr ...

K. G. Subramanyan Kalpathi Ganpathi "K.G." Subramanyan (1924 29 June 2016) was an Indian artist. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2012. Life Subramanyan was born in Tamil Brahmin family on 1924 in Kuthuparamba in Kerala, India, and initially studied econ ...

. He also has co-curated an exhibition titled "Tryst with Destiny" for the Singapore Art Museum to mark the 50 years of Indian Independence and served as a curatorial adviser for Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose curated by Sonia Rhie Quintanilla for the

San Diego Museum of Art The San Diego Museum of Art is a fine arts museum located at 1450 El Prado in Balboa Park in San Diego, California that houses a broad collection with particular strength in Spanish art. The San Diego Museum of Art opened as The Fine Arts Galler ...

Early life and education

R. Siva Kumar was born in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. After completing his early education in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

and

he moved to

Santiniketan Santiniketan is a neighbourhood of Bolpur town in the Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in West Bengal, India, approximately 152 km north of Kolkata. It was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, and later expanded by his son ...

, where he joined

Kala Bhavan Kala Bhavana (Institute of Fine Arts) is the fine arts faculty of Visva-Bharati University, in Shantiniketan, India. It is an institution of education and research in visual arts, founded in 1919, it was established by Nobel laureate Rabindran ...

and completed his MFA in

history of art The history of art focuses on objects made by humans for any number of spiritual, narrative, philosophical, symbolic, conceptual, documentary, decorative, and even functional and other purposes, but with a primary emphasis on its aesthetic vis ...

Career

Since 1981, Professor Siva Kumar, who is often considered to be "the most erudite and self-effacing art historian" of his time, has been teaching

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

Kala Bhavana Kala Bhavana (Institute of Fine Arts) is the fine arts faculty of Visva-Bharati University, in Shantiniketan, India. It is an institution of education and research in visual arts, founded in 1919, it was established by Nobel laureate Rabindran ...

, where he has held several offices, including that of the Principal. His writings on

Abanindranath Tagore Abanindranath Tagore ( Bengali: অবনীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 August 1871 – 5 December 1951) was the principal artist and creator of the "Indian Society of Oriental Art". He was also the first major exponent of Sw ...

and the

artists have contributed a new perspective on them by shifting the critical focus from nationalist revivalism to a context sensitive modernism. Among his curated exhibitions Santiniketan: The Making of a Contextual Modernism commissioned to mark the fifty years of Indian independence, ''Benodebehari: A Centenary Retrospective'' (co-curated with

) and '' The Last Harvest : Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore'' commissioned to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore are considered landmark exhibitions. The reputed Indian Magazine,

Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...

reported, "The best show was the one (celebrating 50 years of Indian Independence) curated by R. Siva Kumar of Santiniketan, 'The Making of a Contextual Modernism', exhibiting about a hundred works each of Nandalal Bose,

Ram Kinker Baij Ramkinkar Baij ( bn, রামকিঙ্কর বেইজ) (25 May 1906 – 2 August 1980) was an Indian sculptor and painter, one of the pioneers of modern Indian sculpture and a key figure of Contextual Modernism. Early life and ...

and

". While The Last Harvest : Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore was shown at ten major museums of the world including the

Museum of Asian Art The Museum of Asian Art (german: Museum für Asiatische Kunst) is a part of the Humboldt Forum in Berlin since 2020. Before its relocation it was sited in the neighborhood of the borough of , Berlin, Germany. It is one of the Berlin State Museums ...

, Berlin;

Asia Society The Asia Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) and around the world (Hong Kong, Man ...

, New York;

National Museum of Korea The National Museum of Korea is the flagship museum of Korean history and art in South Korea and is the cultural organization that represents Korea. Since its establishment in 1945, the museum has been committed to various studies and research ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

;

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, London;

The Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and list of largest art museums, largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visit ...

, Chicago;

Petit Palais The Petit Palais (; en, Small Palace) is an art museum in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle ("universal exhibition"), it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts (''Musée des beaux-arts ...

, Paris;

National Gallery of Modern Art National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

, Rome; National Visual Arts Gallery, Kuala Lumpur;

McMichael Canadian Art Collection The McMichael Canadian Art Collection (MCAC) is an art museum in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located on a property in Kleinburg, an unincorporated village in Vaughan. The property includes the museum's main building, a sculpture garde ...

, Ontario; and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. In a review of

Rabindra Chitravali ''Rabindra Chitravali'' is a 2011 four-volume set of books by art historian R. Siva Kumar that contains paintings of Rabindranth Tagore. These include about 1700 paintings in the Rabindra Bhavana and Kala Bhavana collections of Visva-Bharati, S ...

in ''

The Statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

'', German scholar Martin Kämpchen ( de) writes, "It collects excellently faithful reproductions of Rabindranath's paintings in large format. The editor,

's art historian, Prof R . Siva Kumar, has spent his entire working life researching the Bengal School of Art, especially the

crop of painters. This is the crowning achievement in this hard-working and self-effacing scholar's career." For the

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...

Cambridge Journals Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Press i ...

, W. Andrew Robinson wrote, "The unparalleled quality of the volumes' reproductions, made from new scans of the original works kept in

, in New Delhi and elsewhere, and printed by India's leading art printer, Pragati Offset, based in Hyderabad, is thrillingly good.

: Paintings of

is surely one of the finest art books to have been produced in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Closely associated with the critical traditions of the

his writings on

Abanindranath Abanindranath Tagore (Bengali language, Bengali: অবনীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 August 1871 – 5 December 1951) was the principal artist and creator of the "Indian Society of Oriental Art". He was also the first maj ...

and the

artists have been recognised as making an important contribution to the reassessment and critical reception of these artists. Reviewing his book ''

Paintings of Abanindranath Tagore ''Paintings of Abanindranath Tagore'' is a book on Abanindranath Tagore's paintings by art historian R. Siva Kumar. It is widely considered as a landmark book in the Indian art scene that brings together a large corpus of Abanindranath's work for ...

'' Tapati Guha Takurta wrote: ‘With this magnum opus on

, Siva Kumar can be seen to have traversed full circle within this particular lineage of art practice and art writing in Bengal. An art historical journey that began with and has continuously returned to the work of

, has tracked its course backwards in time to mark out its significant inheritance, not just of the

masters ( Nandalal Bose,

and

Ramkinkar Baij Ramkinkar Baij ( bn, রামকিঙ্কর বেইজ) (25 May 1906 – 2 August 1980) was an Indian sculptor and painter, one of the pioneers of modern Indian sculpture and a key figure of Contextual Modernism. Early life and ...

), but also in the little-known oeuvre of the later

.' In 2013 he was awarded by the

Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi ( bn, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ বাংলা একাডেমি) is the official regulatory body of the Bengali language in West Bengal, India. Modeled after Bangla Academy of Bangladesh and France's Acadé ...

for his book ''Ram Kinkar Baij – A Retrospective''. R. Siva Kumar also received a special award from the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

for his contribution to the Indian art scene.

Contextual Modernism

In '' Santiniketan: The Making of a Contextual Modernism'' Siva Kumar introduced the term Contextual Modernism which later emerged as a

postcolonial Postcolonialism is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. More specifically, it is a ...

critical tool in the understanding of Indian art, specifically the works of Nandalal Bose,

and

. Several terms including

Paul Gilroy Paul Gilroy (born 16 February 1956) is an English sociologist and cultural studies scholar who is the founding Director of the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Race and Racism at University College, London (UCL). Gilroy is the 2019 ...

’s ''counter culture of modernity'' and Tani Barlow's ''Colonial modernity'' have been used to describe the kind of alternative modernity that emerged in non-European contexts. Professor Gall argues that ‘Contextual Modernism’ is a more suited term because “the colonial in ''colonial modernity'' does not accommodate the refusal of many in colonized situations to internalize inferiority. Santiniketan’s artist teachers’ refusal of subordination incorporated a counter vision of modernity, which sought to correct the racial and cultural essentialism that drove and characterized imperial Western modernity and modernism. Those European modernities, projected through a triumphant British colonial power, provoked nationalist responses, equally problematic when they incorporated similar essentialisms.”

Role in preventing Tagore fakes

R. Siva Kumar, being an authority on

Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resha ...

's paintings, curator of his largest Exhibition and the author/editor of the most comprehensive reference work on Rabindranath's paintings has played an important role in preventing Tagore-fakes. In 2011 the

Government College of Art and Craft The Government College of Art & Craft (GCAC) in Kolkata is one of the oldest Art colleges in India. It was founded on August 16, 1854 at Garanhata, Chitpur, "with the purpose of establishing an institution for teaching the youth of all classe ...

in Kolkata, under principal Dipali Bhattacharya, had organised an exhibition of 23 Tagore paintings. And later 20 were found to be fake. Siva Kumar, who had already seen digital images of the paintings and, convinced that they were all fakes, had warned the college principal, Dipali Bhattacharya, against holding the exhibition. But Bhattacharya went ahead with the claim that the paintings were "genuine". “There’s a great market for

's paintings and his works are of a rare kind. I had seen the reproductions and I knew they were fake. It's unfortunate because it completely destroys the oeuvre of the artist. But the problem of fakes is larger than what is made out of it." R. Siva kumar had revealed to the

Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

. According to Siva Kumar the fakes were "by an academically trained artist — not old Santiniketan. Elements have been taken from different prints and then collaged together...This (Tagore-faking) needs to be nipped in the bud. The other day, I came upon a notice about an exhibition of Nandalal (Bose) and

(Tagore), the medium being acrylic and canvas. Acrylic paints were not invented then. They are totally uninformed. The art world should wake up if it wants credibility. Institutions should be more careful. They have a certain responsibility to their heritage and legacy. The academic part of it should be more professional." In 2014, Siva Kumar called for the formation of an investigation unit to track theft, copies and forgery of art. ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...

'' quoted him,"A national-level investigation agency should set up a team of specialists who follow only such cases so that they can see pattern or notice the involvement of same people or part of the same network. One can then consider putting an embargo on galleries and collectors whose names figure in such reports." He also urged that supportive legal measures should also be drafted. Explaining the rise in fakes originating from Bengal, he pointed to the revival of interest in art of early 20th century. "Bengal masters figured prominently in art history. Their works were few in circulation. Hence, when demand went up, it spawned fakes."

''Ramkinkar Baij''

''Ramkinkar Baij: A Retrospective, 1906-1980'' is a book by R. Siva Kumar that was brought out on the occasion of a massive retrospective exhibition of

at the

. The exhibition was curated by K.S. Radhakrishnan and the book was brought out in collaboration with the Delhi Art Gallery. The book presents entire body of Ramkinkar's sketches, watercolours, etchings, oils and sculptures, together with many invaluable period photographs. This is considered to be the authoritative volume on the “prolific master”. Drawing distinction between

and Ramkinkar Baij, Siva Kumar notes, "If his friend and colleague Binodebihari painted the starker side of Santiniketan landscape, and saw himself as a lonely palm tree in the middle of the barren and parched Khoai, Ramkinkar saw himself as the Palash in full bloom: No leaves, bare branches, fully ablaze". In 2013 R. Siva Kumar was granted an award by the

for this book.

Memberships and associations

* Member Advisory Committee,

for two terms * Member of the Board of Studies of the School of Art and Aesthetics,

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...

* Principal, Kala Bhavana(2008–2010) * Nominated as "Eminent Art Historian" to the General Council of the

* Member of the committee appointed by the

Government of Kerala Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...

for the improvement of art education in Kerala * Member Advisory Committee

* Member Executive Council

Visva Bharati Visva-Bharati () is a public central university and an Institution of National Importance located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it ''Visva-Bharati'', which means the communion of the w ...

(2008–2009) * Vice-President SVAAD (Santiniketan Visual Artists and Designers Association) * Nominated member of the

(2008–2011) * Trustee of the Foundation for Indian Art and Education * Governor's Nominee

Rabindra Bharati University Rabindra Bharati University is a public research university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore. ...

(2014) *

Mario Miranda Mário João Carlos do Rosário de Brito Miranda (2 May 1926 – 11 December 2011), popularly known as Mario Miranda or Mario de Miranda, was an Indian cartoonist and painter based in Loutolim in the Indian state of Goa. Miranda had been a ...

Chair Professor in Art, Painting and Illustrative Art and Cartooning

Goa University Goa University is a public state research university headquartered in the city of Panaji, in the Indian state of Goa. In addition to Panaji ( Taleigão Plateau Campus), it has a campus in Margao, Mapusa, Ponda, Old Goa and Vasco da Gama. ...

(2016-) *

ICCR The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 Apri ...

Chair of Indian Studies at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

(2018-)

Awards and recognitions

* 'Kesari Puraskaram'for contribution to art writing,

, 2010. * 'Manojmohan Smarak Puraskar' for book on Ramkinkar Baij,

, 2013. * Felicitated with a plaque of special Honour by the

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

, 2013. * Awarded the title 'Rabindra Tattwacharya' by the Tagore Research Institute, Kolkata, 2015. * Awarded 'Lifetime Achievement Award for Art History and Art Criticism' by the

Government of West Bengal The Government of West Bengal also known as the West Bengal Government, is the subnational government of the Indian state of West Bengal , created by the National Constitution as the state's legislative, executive and judicial authority. The ...

, 2018.

Curated exhibitions

* An Exhibition of

's Paintings, Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan,1985. * ''Tryst with Destiny'',

Singapore Art Museum The Singapore Art Museum (Abbreviation: SAM) is an art museum is located in the Downtown Core district of Singapore. It is the first fully dedicated contemporary visual arts museum in Singapore with one of the world’s most important public co ...

, Singapore, 1997. * Santiniketan: The Making of a Contextual Modernism,

, New Delhi, 1997. * ''

K.G. Subramanyan Kalpathi Ganpathi "K.G." Subramanyan (1924 29 June 2016) was an Indian artist. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2012. Life Subramanyan was born in Tamil Brahmin family on 1924 in Kuthuparamba in Kerala, India, and initially studied econ ...

: A Retrospective'',

, New Delhi, 2002. * ''Benodebehari: A Centenary Retrospective'',

, New Delhi, 2006 (with

). * '' The Last Harvest : Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore'',

, Berlin ,

, New York,

, Seoul,

, London,

, Chicago,

, Paris,

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna The ("national gallery of modern and contemporary art"), also known as La Galleria Nazionale, is an art gallery in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1883 on the initiative of the then Minister Guido Baccelli and is dedicated to modern and contempora ...

, Rome, National Visual Arts Gallery, Kuala Lumpur,

, Ontario,

, New Delhi,

National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai was opened to the public in 1996. It hosts various exhibitions and art collections of famous artists, sculptors and different civilizations. It is situated in the Cowasji Jehangir Hall, near Regal Cinema ...

National Gallery of Modern Art, Bangalore National Gallery of Modern Art is an art gallery in Bangalore. It was inaugurated in the year 2009. It showcases modern Indian art and houses paintings by Raja Ravi Verma, Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, Rabindranath Tagore and a large number of Mo ...

*''Selected Works of Ramachandran: from 1964–2013''

Major publications

* R. Siva Kumar. ''The Santiniketan Murals'', Seagull Books.. * R. Siva Kumar. Santiniketan: The Making of a Contextual Modernism, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, 1997. * R. Siva Kumar. ''

K.G. Subramanyan Kalpathi Ganpathi "K.G." Subramanyan (1924 29 June 2016) was an Indian artist. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2012. Life Subramanyan was born in Tamil Brahmin family on 1924 in Kuthuparamba in Kerala, India, and initially studied econ ...

: A Retrospective'', National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, 2003. . * R. Siva Kumar, '' A Ramachandran: A Retrospective'', National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, 2004. . * R. Siva Kumar, ''K.S. Radhakrisnan'', Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi, 2004.. * R. Siva Kumar. ''My Pictures: A Collection of Paintings by

'', Visva Bharati and Viva Books, New Delhi, 2005. . * R. Siva Kumar, ''The Khoai'', Gallery Espace, New Delhi, 2007. * R. Siva Kumar with

, '' Benodebehari Mukherjee: A Centenary Retrospective'',

, New Delhi, 2007. * R. Siva Kumar, ''

: The Painted Platters'', The Guild, Mumbai, 2007.. * R. Siva Kumar, ''

'', Pratikshan Books, Kolkata, 2008.. * R. Siva Kumar, ''Sensibility Objectified: The Sculptures of Sarbari Roy Choudhury'', Akar Prakar, Lalit Kala Akademi and Mapin, Kolkata, 2009.. . * R. Siva Kumar, ''

: Drawings'', The Guild, Mumbai, 2010. . * R. Siva Kumar, ''

: Paintings of Rabindranath'', Pratikshan Books, Kolkata, 2011. ISBN Vol1: 978-81-89323-30-1 Vol2: 978-81-89323-31-1 Vol3: 978-81-89323-32-1 Vol4: 978-81-89323-33-1 Set: 978-81-89323-34-1 Catalogue: 978-81-89323-40-0. * R. Siva Kumar, ''The Last Harvest: Paintings of Rabindranath'', Mapin, Ahamedabad, 2011.(with contributions from

William Radice William Radice is a poet, writer and translator. He is the senior lecturer in Bengali in the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. His research area is in Bengali language and literature. He has translated several Bengali ...

, Uma Das Gupta, Kris Manjapra, Martin Kämpchen ( de), etc.) . * R. Siva Kumar, '' Ramkinkar Baij (book)"'' ,Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2012. . * R. Siva Kumar,''Enchantment and Engagement: Murals of K.G. Subramanyan'',

Seagull Books Seagull Books is a publishing venture begun in Kolkata in 1982 by Naveen Kishore, a theater practitioner. It began primarily as a response to the growing need for an Indian publishing house for theater and the other arts and since then it has ...

, Kolkata, 2015.

Selected articles

*‘K.C.S. Paniker: A Retrospect’, ''Nandan'', 1979. *Catalogue article for the Sudhir Khastgir retrospective exhibition, ''Kala-Bhavan'', March 1980. *‘Ramkinkar’, ''Kala Kaumaudi'', August 1980. *‘A Room Between Rooms’ (being an essay on the art of Ramkinkar), ''Nandan'', vol. 3, December 1980. *‘Sudhir Khastgir: A Critique’, ''Lalita Kala Contemporary'', vol. 31, April 1981. *‘….. And the Theme is Destiny’, (being an essay on the murals of Benodebehari Mukherjee), ''Nandan'', vol. 4, December 1981. *‘Faces of a Master’, (being an essay on the art of K.G. Subramanyan), ''Deccan Herald'', December 1981. *‘Rembrandt and the Image as Parable’, ''The Visva-Bharati Quarterly'', Vol. 46, 1982 *‘Painting, Creativity and Communication’, Silpa O Samaj, ''Midnapur Silpi Chakra'', 1983. *‘Sudhir Khastgir’, ''Indian Sculpture Today'', Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay, 1983. *‘K.G. Subramanyan: A Case for Versatility’, K.G. Subramanyan, Samyojita, Bangalore, 1983. *‘Art Treatises and Art Education’, (being a study of the nature and function of the art writings of Nandalal, Leonardo and Klee), ''Nandan'', vol. 7, 1984. *‘Benodebehari’s Self-Portrait as an Artist’, ''Nandan'', vol. 8, 1985. *Translations of letters by Ravi Varma, Rabindranath and Abanindranath, ''Nandan'', vol. 9, 1986. *Catalogue article for K.G. Subramanyan’s exhibition of paintings by Kala Yatra at Bangalore, 1987. *Catalogue article for the exhibition of sculptures by Somnath Hore at Kala Yatra, Bangalore, 1987. *‘Reba Hore : Reality in a Tender Light’, ''Art Heritage'', vol. 8, New Delhi, 1989. *‘Versatile Expression’, ''The India Magazine'', vol. 9, no. 10, New Delhi, 1989. *‘Ramkinkarer Jalaranger Chabbi’, Ramkinkar, ed. ''Prakash Das'', 1989. *‘Ramkinkar’s Sculptures and Paintings’, (towards a catalogue raisonne) with J.J. Narzary, Ramkinkar, ed. ''Prakash Das'', 1989. *‘Of Myth and Fairy Tale’, conversation with K.G. Subramanyan, Of Myth and Fairy Tale: Recent Works, Birla Academy of Art and Culture and The Seagull Foundation of the Arts, Calcutta, 1989. *‘The recent Works’, Of Myth and Fairy Tale: Recent Works, Birla Academy of Art and Culture and The Seagull Foundation of the Arts, Calcutta, 1989. *‘Remembering Ramkinkar’, Conversation with K.G. Subramanyan, ''Art Heritage'', vol. 9, New Delhi, 1990. *‘Binodini and Other Portraits of Ramkinkar’, ''Nandan'', vol. 10, 1990. *‘Nandalal’s Concept of the Artist: An Overview’, ''Nandan'', vol. 11, 1991. *‘Nandalal Bose: Landscape Drawings’, catalogue article for exhibition of Nandalal’s landscape drawings, Nandan Art Gallery, ''Kala Bhavan'', August 1992. *Magazine Symposium on Modern Art, Prajavani, 1992. *Catalogue Article for exhibition of K.G. Subramanyan’s paintings, Sakshi Gallery, Madras, 1992. *‘The Home and the World in Ravi Varma’, Ravi Varma: New Perspectives, National Museum, New Delhi, 1993. *‘The Bengal School and the Modern Art Scene in Bengal: Some Observations’, Trends and Images, CIMA, Calcutta, 1993. *‘Homage to Stella Kramrisch’, catalogue article to exhibition at Nandan Gallery, Kala Bhavan, September 1993. *‘Li Gotami Govinda’, catalogue article to exhibition at Nandan, Kala Bhavan, November 1994. *‘Chittaprosad’, catalogue article to exhibition at Nandan Gallery, Kala-Bhavan, November 1994. *‘Pilgrims Progress’, K.G. Subramanyan: Recent Works, CIMA, Calcutta, December 1994. *‘Abanindranath’s Paintings based on the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Lavanya, August 1995. *‘Contemporary Indian Sculpture: The Madras Metaphor’, review article, Marg, September 1995. *‘Somnath Hore: Images of Discontent’, Somnath Hore: Bronzes, CIMA, Calcutta, November 1995. *‘Images of Experience’, Jogen: Oils and Drawings, CIMA, Calcutta, February 1996. *‘Abanindranath Tagore: Beyond Nationalism’, The Visva-Bharati News, May–August 1996. *‘Abanindranath Tagore’, catalogue article 125th Birth Anniversary exhibition, Nandan Gallery, Kala Bhavan, September 1996. * Entries on 9 Contemporary Indian Artists, ''The Dictionary of Art'', Macmillan, London 1996. *‘Post-modernism, New – Internationalism, Pluralism’, in Art Objects in A Post-modern Age. (conference proceedings) Mohile Parikh Centre for the Visual Arts, Mumbai, 1997. *‘Image and Imagination: Five Contemporary Artists in India’, review article, ''Marg'', vol. 48, no. 4, 1997. *‘Contemporary Indian Art: The Last Fifty years’, Tryst with Destiny, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, 1997. *‘Early Abanindranath and Modern Western Art’, ''Nandan'', vol. 17, December 1997. *‘On the Drawings and the Recent Paintings of K.G. Subramanyan’, exhibition catalogue, K.G. Subramanyan: Paintings and Drawings, Seagull, December 1998. *‘Ganesh Pyne: His Life and Times’, review article, ''Marg'', vol. 50, no. 4, January 1999. *‘Modern Indian Art: An Overview’, ''Art Journal'' vol. 58, no. 3, Fall 1999, College Art Association, New York. *‘Santiniketan: Its Ideals and Its Masters’, Prabaha, An Exhibition of the Art of Bengal 1850–1999, Biswa Banga Sammalen, January 2000, Calcutta. *‘Of Roots and Differences’ Exile and Longing: Emerging Art Practices From Kerala, Lakeeran Art Gallery, Mumbai November 2000. *‘Abanindranath’s Arabian Nights: Native Flanerie and Anti-colonial Narration’, Nandan (Essays in Honour of K.G.Subramanyan), vol. 19, 1999, (published in December 2000). *‘Re-figuring Art, Re-articulating Figure: Indian Art 1870 – 1950’, Celebration of the Human Figure, Thinking Eye, New Delhi 2000. *‘Abanindranath and His Legacies’, ''Art of Bengal: Past and Present'', C I M A, Kolkatta 2001. *‘Among Viewers and Images: A Triptych’, ''Nandan'' vol. 21, Santiniketan 2001. *‘Abanindranath and His Legacies’, ''Art of Bengal: Past and Present'', CIMA, Kolkata 2001. *‘Jogen Choudhury’, Sidewinder (an exhibition of Contemporary Indian and British Artists, Kolkata/Delhi/Mumbai), CIMA, Kolkata, February 2002. *‘Ravinder Reddy’, Sidewinder (an exhibition of Contemporary Indian and British Artists, Kolkata/Delhi/Mumbai), CIMA, Kolkata, February 2002. *‘Culture specificity, Art Language and the Practice of Modernism: An Indian Perspective’, ''Contemporary Indian Art: Other Realities'', Marg Publications, Mumbai, March 2002. *‘When was Modernism’, (Riview of Geeta Kapur’s book ''When was Modernism and Other Essays''), Marg vol.53, no.3, March 2002. *‘Sanat Kar: Musings without Angst’, Sanat Kar: A Retrospective of Bronzes and Prints, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata September 2002. *‘Modern Indian Art: Circa 1850 to 2000’, ''Art Ways'' 2002, South Eastern Railway, Kolkata 2002. *‘Jogen Choudhury’, exhibition catalogue, Gallery Bose Pacia Modern, New York, October 2002. *‘An Image From the Hinterland’, ''Nandan'', vol.22, December 2002 *‘Aban-takurer Arabya-rajani: Deshi Flanerie evam’, Evam Musaira’,vol.9, no.4, January- March 2003. *Catalogue text, Exhibition of Silkscreen prints by Kala Bhavana Teachers, Karzan Gallery, Vadodara, August 2004. *‘Remembering Bhupen’, A Tribute to Bhupen Khakhar, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai August 2004. *‘Nandalal’s Drawings’, Searching Lines, No. 2, Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan, December 2004. *‘Benodebehari Mukhopadhyaya: Ekti Samiksha’, Bangadarshan 8–9, January–December 2004. *‘The Bhuddha and the Labyrinth of Bodies: Viewing the Ramp Obliquely’, The Ramp: a sculpture by K.S. Radhakrishnan, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi, October 2204, Uttarayan Baroda, Vadodara, December 2004, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai January 2005 and Galerie Sara Arakkal, Bangalore April 2005. *‘Jogen Choudhury: Lyric and Enigmatic Visions’, in Jogen Choudhury: Enigmatic Visions, Glenbara Art Museum, Japan, January 2005. *‘Blindness, Self, World and Art: Some Ruminations on Benodebehari, Chabi-lekha, Kolkata Vol. 2, 2005. *‘Indigenous Modernism in Bengal: A Few Facets’, Catalogue introduction to an exhibition early modern art from Bengal in the collection of the Birla Academy, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, 21 to 5 February March 2006. *‘Benodebehari Muhkopadhyay: Ekti Samiksha’, Bangadarshan, vol. 8–9 Magh- Poush 1410–11 (January – December 2004), Pub. February 2006, pp. 33– 70. *'Notes on Benode Behari, Ram Kinkar, K. G. Subramanyan, Somnath Hore, Sarbari Roy Choudhuri, and

Gulam Mohammed Sheikh Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh (born 16 February 1937) is a painter, poet and art critic from Gujarat, India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1983 and Padmabhushan in 2014 for his contribution in field of art. Early life Sheikh was born on 16 Februa ...

, Faces of Indian Art: Through the Lens of Nemai Ghosh', Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi, September 2007. *‘Intra Asian Transactions in Art’, Nandan, Ramkinkar Baij Centenary Number, Santiniketan, December 2007, pp. 23–28. *‘Colonialism, Cross Cultural Contact and Modernism’, ''Nandan'' vol.27, Santiniketan, December 2008. *‘Nandalal: His Vision of Art and Art Education’, ''Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose'', San Diego Museum of Art, California, February 2008. , pp. 80–91 *‘Ramkinkar Baij and Modernism’s Dual Commitments’, Santal Family Positions around an Indian Sculpture, Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst, Antwerp 2008. *‘Sara Abraham: Connoisseur and Collector’, Celebrating Sara: Sara Abraham's Collection of Art Over Fifty Years, TnQ Books and Journals, Chennai, February 2008. *‘Images of an Enchanting Journey’, An Enchanting Journey: Paresh Maity's Kerala, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi 2008. *‘Remembering a Friend as Printmaker’, Suranjan Basu 1957–2002: A Retrospective, Seagull Foundation for the Arts, Kolkata November 2008, pp. 81–88. *‘Travels into Liminality with Musui’, K.S. Radhakrishnan: Liminal Figures Liminal Space, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, November 2008. *‘Santiniketan:una comunidad de artistas e ideas’, India Moderna, Casa Asia –Institut Valencia d’Art Moderna, (authors: Juan Guardiola, John Falconer, K G Subramanyan, Deepak Ananth, Geeta Kapur and R Siva Kumar), Valencia – Spain, 2008, *‘Santiniketan: Its Ideals and its Masters,’ From the Everyday to the Imagined: An Exhibition of Indian Art, (Authors: Jan Wee and R Siva Kumar), Singapore Art Museum, Singapore and Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, 2008. ISBN / *‘Representing the Nation: Two paintings by Abanindranath’, ''Art and Deal'' Vol. 6, No.1, January 2009, pp. 24–27. *‘Globalism, Rabindranath and Some Thoughts on Location’, ''Assam University Journal: Humanities and Social Sciences'', Vol. 4, No.1, January 2009. *‘Santiniketan: A Development in Three Movements’, Gayatri Singha Ed. ''Art and Visual Culture in India 1857–2007'', Marg Publications, Mumbai, January 2009, pp. 104–117. *‘A Priliminary Note on Khuddur Jatra’, Khuddur Jatra, Prarikshan, Kolkata, 2009 *‘Somnath Hore:A Reclusive Socialist and Modernist’, ''Bengal Art: New Perspectives, Praikshan Essays in the Arts'' 1, Kolkatta 2010, pp. 55–78. *‘Somnath Hore: A Socialist and Modernist Artist’, Somnath Hore, ''Prints, Drawings, Posters, Kala Bhavan and Seagull'', February 2011, pp. 44–96 *‘Catalogue Introduction’, ''Arun Pal: Paintings and Drawings'', Nandan Gallery, Santiniketan, March 2011. *‘Rabindranath Tagore como Pintor y Catalizador del Arte Indio Moderno’ Redescubriendo a Tagore, Amaranta, Indo-Latin American Cultural Initiative, Bombay in Collaboration with Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, 2011. , pp. 155–169. *‘The Arabian Nights and the Web of Stories’, Art Etc., Kolkata June 2012, pp. 26–29. *‘Mural Shilpy Subramanyan’, Anustup, Vol 47, No. 1, Autumn 2012, pp. 851–864. *‘An Extraordinary Cohesiveness’, Sudhir Patrwardhan The Guild, November 2012. *'Preface to Between Darkness and Magic: Examining the Kerala Metaphor', CIMA Gallery, Kolkata, 7 December 2012 to 5 January 2013 *‘A Celebration of this Oddly Mixed-up Scene’, introduction to K G Subramanyan exhibition at the Focus Gallery, Chennai, January 2013. *‘Ramkinkar Baij and Modern Indian Sculpture’, ''Take on Art'', Vol. 3, No. 10, January 2013 , pp. 32–35 *‘Jogen Choudhury: Lyric and Enigmatic Visions’, Jogen Choudhury Retrospective, Nandan Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan 11–28 February 2013, pp. 4–8. *‘Santiniketan. Eine Welt-Universität, Raman Siva Kumar in Gespräch mit Regina Bittner und Kathrin Rhomberg’, Das Bauhaus in Kalkutta. Eine Begegnung kosmopolitischer Avantgarden, Bauhaus Edition 36, Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern 2013, pp. 111–118. *‘Lord, let each day of mine be a festival, a celebration: A conversation between R. Siva Kumar and K. G. Subramanyan,’ K. G. Subramanyan: New Works, Seagull Foundation for the Arts, Kolkata 2014.

References

External links

"Interview with R. Siva Kumar"

* ttp://humanitiesunderground.org/all-the-shared-experiences-of-the-lived-world/ "ALL THE SHARED EXPERIENCES OF THE LIVED WORLD, part-I"
"ALL THE SHARED EXPERIENCES OF THE LIVED WORLD, part-II""R.Siva Kumar speaking on the Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore, at Smithsonian American Art Museum, Part-I""R.Siva Kumar speaking on the Paintings of Rabindranath Tagore, at Smithsonian American Art Museum, Part-II"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, R. Siva 1956 births Living people Indian art historians Scholars from Kerala 20th-century Indian educational theorists Indian art curators Indian art critics Indian art educators Visva-Bharati University alumni Visva-Bharati University faculty Indian curators Indian arts administrators

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

20th-century Indian historians Historians of Indian art