"In the time since he left us, we have celebrated various aspects of his life, in poetry, theater, etc. With this show we wanted to focus on the visual arts,” said Ranjit Hoskote, art historian and curator, of the late Gieve Patel, who passed away in November 2023. The tribute, with 45 works by 13 artists, curated by Hoskote, was on display at the Jehangir Nicholson Gallery in the East Wing of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (former Prince of Wales Museum) from March 21 to May 25, 2025, as per a curtain-raiser published in mid-day (MD) on March 18.
Top row, from l: Gieve Patel painted by Sudhir Patwardhan; Patel
photographed by Atul Dodiya; Dead Politician by Patel; 2nd row:
exhibition; invitation
The late artist’s friends and colleagues willingly participated in the show to celebrate Patel’s life and legacy. "In a way their presence in the exhibition is a testament to his presence that continues in their life and mine,” explained Hoskote, who had been the artist’s friend for over 40 years. Participants included Sudhir Patwardhan, Atul and Anuj Dodiya, Gulammohammed Shaikh, Areez Katki, Jitish Kallat, Nilima Sheikh, with newcomers Sujith S.N. and Ratheesh T.
Patwardhan and Patel, who were both medical doctors, bonded through their art. "The way he saw people attracted me,” Patwardhan told MD. "I think his view of the city and people was shaped by his humanism. It was not a question of being sympathetic, but much deeper. It was a meditation on how you related to people as an artist,” he recalled.
"Gieve painted a lot of deaths and solitude. But he brings to them an empathy and delicate touch,” said Atul Dodiya, who first met Patel as a young student of the Sir J. J. School of Art in the late 1970s. "His connection to the human body, and the people of Bombay, the ones you meet on the street, often formed his subjects. He did not paint with aggression… He painted with a touch of detachment... a melancholic meditation.” Dodiya would visit Patel in his rooms and wait "all evening till his patients left, before asking him for a chance to visit his studio. He was a very giving person, and always had the time of day for you,” reported MD.
Hoskote endorsed this: "Gieve was always present for his friends: it’s what made him special.”