22-05-2025
When art critic becomes collector
Suneet Chopra was a kind man. The late art critic and senior leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was always accessible and warm, and at any art opening, he would give young, upcoming artists the same attention as a Jatin Das or Jogen Chowdhury. One of the many reasons Chopra wrote about art was to bridge the gap between art and the common man. Now, after his demise in 2023, his sister Nina Rao and niece Niraja Rao are continuing his philosophy of building connections.
Chopra, whose innings as an art critic lasted for almost five decades, was an art collector, too. Nina and Niraja have donated his collection of 200 paintings, sculptures, writings, and other personal memorabilia to the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) — an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture that acts as a resource centre for Indian art forms.
'Suneet had asked me to donate the collection to the government so that anyone could come and see it. He wanted his collection to be studied by future scholars,' says Nina, a former journalist and reader at the Delhi University. His only request: 'Just don't break my collection.'
An eclectic assemblage
IGNCA exhibited 100 works recently, in a show titled Suneet Chopra: The Critic & His Art. It featured a cross-section of artists, styles and forms — from upcoming to established, abstracts to figuratives, traditional to modern and contemporary. 'He bought the works of Subodh Gupta and Neeraj Goswami at the beginning of their careers, so you can see the evolution of their style by looking at these pieces,' says Nina, who is two years his senior and initiated Chopra into the world of art criticism. 'He bought an artwork if he saw value in it, if it resonated with him, and not because of a name. One month before he passed away, he bought a work by West Bengal-based senior artist Samir Aich. It's an abstract piece that hints at the collapse of Indian society and system.'
The curation also featured women artists such as Shobha Broota, Arpana Caur and others. Caur's work Goddess Penelope, with its three eyes, takes inspiration from Greek mythology; artist and writer K.G. Subramanyan's work depicts two barking dogs; and a painting by Ramkinkar Baij, considered India's first modern sculptor, depicts Radha and Krishna.
The oldest paintings in the collection are by unknown English painters, which Chopra had bought while studying in England in the 60s. 'M.F. Husain used to do wedding invitations, and he had gifted him [Chopra] one of those. The collection has that as well,' says Nina. 'Suneet lived a frugal life, and saved his money to buy these works. I had not seen all of them, and while working with IGNCA, I was pleasantly surprised.'
Suneet Chopra's collection can be viewed at the IGNCA, New Delhi, by appointment.
The Bengaluru-based journalist writes on art, culture, health and social welfare.
