Opulence & Eternity
Thirty-five years after her astonishing show at the Jehangir Gallery, gallery g is proud to present Rukmini Varma’s latest collection of paintings through Opulence & Eternity.
Created in her unique style, this is the first time since 1982 that Rukmini is displaying her works of art.
Born in 1940 as Princess Bharani Tirunal of Travancore, Rukmini is a great-great granddaughter of Raja Ravi Varma, and custodian of his legacy through the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation. Raised in a palace amidst court painters and artistes, she draws inspiration from masters like Rubens and Rembrandt, nourished also by the palette of her own illustrious ancestor.
The paintings in Opulence & Eternity exemplify splendour and metaphor, marrying legend with history, and mythology with drama. Mixing a minimum of colours, the hallmark of these velvety canvases is allegorical imagination, where beauty is celebrated as eternal and divine. Shades of skin are contrasted against exquisite jewels and shimmering gold, and the underlying intent is the enhancement of the human form.
Rukmini’s first solo in Bengaluru was inaugurated by Governor Sukhadia in 1973, followed by a show at the Lalit Kala Academy in Delhi, opened by President V.V. Giri. After exhibitions on the Continent, Rukmini’s acclaimed 1976 London exhibition was opened by Lord Mountbatten. She lives and works in Bengaluru, offering, as Justice A.N. Ray once remarked, ‘the key to beauty and bliss in life.’
Video
Press Coverage
- The Hindu, Jan 9th, 2017
- Rukmini Varma in Economic Times, Dec 27th, 2016
- Deccan Herald, Jan 19th, 2017