Art

Famed art historian, educator Kavita Singh dies at 59

Published

1 year ago

July 31, 2023

Renowned art historian and former professor and dean at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Kavita Singh — famed for her work on Mughal, Rajput and Deccan art, and the role of museums — died of cancer on Sunday evening. She was 59.

Singh was among six eminent researchers in 2018 who won the Infosys Prize by the Infosys Science Foundation in the humanities category for her “extraordinarily illuminating study of Mughal, Rajput and Deccan art as well as her insightful writing on the historical function and role of museums and their significance in the increasingly fraught and conflicted social world in which visual culture exists today.”

Said Nayanjot Lahiri, author and professor of History at Ashoka University, who has known Singh since 2015: “She was a much-respected art historian who produced superb writings on medieval paintings. She also researched and wrote on the world of museums and how these reflected and shaped public discourse in all kinds of ways.”

Lahiri further said, “Apart from her vast knowledge of the world of art, what distinguished Kavita was her ability to make her audience understand and feel a sense of delight about little noticed details in the paintings she loved. Really sad that she passed away much before her time.”

Singh had published several essays on secularism and religiosity, “fraught national identities”, and the memorialisation of “difficult histories”.

Historian and author William Dalrymple tweeted: “This is the saddest news… RIP lovely, brilliant Kavita Singh who always dazzled @JaipurLitFest with her fabulous insights to Mughal painting and did so much to educate us all on obscure recesses of Indian art history. What an irreplaceable loss!”

Singh received her BA Honours in English Literature from Lady Shri Ram College in 1985 and her Masters in Fine Arts in Art History from M S University Baroda in 1987. She received a PhD in Art History from Panjab University, Chandigarh, in 1996.

Singh also curated exhibitions at the San Diego Museum of Art, the Devi Art Foundation, apart from JNU and the National Museum of India. Volumes

that she has edited and co-edited include New Insights into Sikh

Art (Marg, 2003), Influx: Contemporary Art in Asia (Sage, 2013), No Touching, No Spitting, No Praying: The Museum in South Asia (Routledge, 2014) with fellow art historian Saloni Mathur, among others.

“Kavita was one of the brightest art historians and one of the most brilliant people I knew. We worked together for about 20 years. She was one of the founding members of JNU’s School of Arts and Aesthetics,” said Naman Ahuja, professor of Art History at JNU. “She specialised in miniature paintings of the Mughal and Rajput courts and then she touched on something that was very unique and important, which was how the revival of Mughal, and Lucknow and Jaipur styles was carried out in the 18th Century — a period that very few people worked on,” Ahuja added.

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Art

In search of art without an argument – Financial Times

Published

11 mins ago

October 19, 2024

Harry Miller

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In search of art without an argument Financial Times

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Art

A misspelled memorial to the Brontë sisters gets its dots back at last

Published

3 weeks ago

September 26, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.

More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.

The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.

They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.

“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”

It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.

Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”

Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.

“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.

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Art

Calvin Lucyshyn: Vancouver Island Art Dealer Faces Fraud Charges After Police Seize Millions in Artwork

Published

1 month ago

September 13, 2024

Harry Miller

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.

Alleged Fraud Scheme

Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.

Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.

Massive Seizure of Artworks

In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.

Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.

Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed

In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.

Court Proceedings Ongoing

The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.

Impact on the Local Art Community

The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.

For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.

As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.

While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.

Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.

As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.