Members of the LGBTQ community in Bengaluru. Representative image.
PTI
London: A British Indian art dealer and activist, who recently reopened his gallery in central London, is planning a major exhibition so that part of its proceeds can go towards continuing his fight for LGBTQ+ rights across India.
Amar Singh, the London-born member of a Kapurthala royal family, relaunched Amar Gallery in Fitzrovia last month with a solo exhibition of the works of French photographer and painter Dora Maar – a muse of celebrated Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso.
In September, it will become the first gallery to host a solo exhibition of the paintings of American abstract painter Lawrence Calcagno and much of its proceeds are ear-marked for Singh's India-focussed campaigns.
“I’m proud to be Indian; at the end of last year the Indian Supreme Court banned conversion therapy and I’m currently working with human rights lawyers to enforce this ban across all Indian states,” said Singh.
“My ultimate message is equality matters for all people, even those we might disagree with; we are all equal human at the end of the day. In September 2024, Amar Gallery London will be the first gallery to host a solo exhibition of LGBT+ artist Lawrence Calcagno’s incredible paintings. Calcagno was the student of Mark Rothko but was a true legend in his own right painting meditative works. Part of the proceeds from this exhibition will go towards continuing my fight for LGBT+ rights across India,” he said.
It was as a little boy when his parents would take him to museums that his love of works of art was nurtured.
“Art can be a powerful tool for change and also a form of great therapy. It is one of the greatest cultural assets we have. My all-time favourite story is from around 20 years ago with my parents in the south of France, we came across a group of paintings being exhibited in a church. The organisers directed us to the artist’s home as he lived nearby and that was S H Raza, who went on to become not only one of the most important artists in Indian but world history,” recalls Singh.
For Singh, the city of London is an “art form in itself”, bursting with diversity and colour, and therefore he decided to reopen Amar Gallery in the UK capital. But over time he plans to hold exhibitions around the world, including India.
“I reopened Amar Gallery in June 2024 with a solo exhibition of Dora Maar’s work. She was Picasso’s muse and lover. More importantly she was an amazing artist in her own right admired by the other leading artists such as Man Ray, Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dali. I’m thrilled to reopen Amar Gallery celebrating this overlooked artist who was often overshadowed by her relationship with Picasso,” he added.
The ethos of Amar Gallery is that nothing matters more than the art, but the reality is many fine artists were overlooked because of their gender, sex or race. It hopes to help correct this imbalance and give overlooked artists the spotlight they deserve.
In 2022, London’s National Portrait Gallery acquired a portrait of Amar Singh by artist Howard Tangye for their permanent collection as a celebration of diversity. He got into the world of dealing art in 2014 and is a patron of the Tate and Whitechapel Gallery in London. He is also a patron of anti-trafficking organisation Shakti Vahini and We Power, which provide dignified employment opportunities for women survivors of human trafficking in India.