New exhibition features paintings of Sikh community by western artists

80 archival replicas of paintings depicting the glory and grandeur of the Sikh community are being showcased at a new exhibition here.

"Sikhs: An Occidental Romance" by the city-based non profit organisation Hubris Foundation, opened at AIFACS gallery on Friday.

The collection features art works that were originally painted by 19th and 20th century western artists like Alfred De Dreux, Emily Eden, Rudolf Swoboda, Edwin Lord Weeks, Prince Alexis Soltykoff, August Schoefft, William Carpenter among others.

Some of the works on display include a portrait of battle hardened Ranjit Singh in reverential tranquility, an iconic painting of the Golden Temple and a portrait of a Sikh under commission by Queen Victoria.

"In my 20-year fascination with occidental artists who painted India and its people, I have often wondered why the Sikhs receive near universal admiration from these magnificent wielders of the paint brush.

"I'm delighted that the Hubris Foundation has been able to compile an exhaustive collection of Sikh paintings by western artists under one roof, for the first time in India," Gautam Srivastava, Founder, The Hubris Foundation, said.

The exhibition also displays incredible works of art that depict the Anglo-Sikh Wars, Viscount Hardinge, the cities of Amritsar and Lahore, the Jallianwala Bagh among others.

The show is set to continue till April 18.