Haku Shah's exhibition in Mumbai spotlights his underloved paintings

The Gandhian artist is best remembered for turning attention to Indian rural and indigenous arts

One of the first things that struck gallerists Dhwani Gudka and Keshav Mahendru when they visited Haku Shah’s home in Ahmedabad was the lack of an easel. The late artist never used one. A studio, even palettes, were conspicuous by their absence. When he felt the urge to paint, Shah would rest the canvas against a wall, and mix colours from tubes of Winsor & Newton — Camel, if he was low on funds — directly on the surface. 

 

Many such stories detail the simplicity of the multi-hyphenate art practitioner, whose paintings remained relatively overlooked throughout his life but have