Gieve Patel

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Born in Mumbai in1940, Gieve Patel is a distinguished painter, poet and playwriter. His sculptures in terracotta, bronze and fiberglass are maturely conceived images that are precisely executed, to unfold the very provocative themes as that of Desire & Woundedness, lust & betrayal.

In Gieve’s recent works Eklavya and Daphne, two figures from the legend dominated, where one being recruited from the Indian epic Mahabharata and the other culled from Graeco-Roman mythology respectively. Both were ruined by the forces of nature that demanded their submission: a hunter who dared to equal the warrior-prince Arjuna and a nymph who defied the sun-god’s lust, both were punished for their offenses. Patel has tried to interpret both the figures, thereby exploring his creative best in the chosen medium.

Patel has been a recipient of the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, The Wilson Center, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC in 1984,The Rockerfeller Fellowship by The University of Chicago in1992 and was presented The C. R. Parekh Writer in Residence Award, by The Nirman Foundation Grant, University of Pennsylvania, 2003.

Gieve has participated in a number of solo, Group Exhibitions in India & Abroad some of which include: 

'Eklavya/Daphne, Sculpture exhibition at The Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai in 2007.'

‘The Startling View from the Studio’ - Recent Paintings by Gieve Patel and Sudhir Patwardhan, Bose Pacia, New York in 2006,  

'Vadhera Art Gallery, New Delhi in 2004,Gallery Chemould, Mumbai in 2003.'

Gieve has written Essays on Art which include: To Pick up a Brush, Contemporary Indian Art from the Chester and Davida Family Collection, Grey Art Gallery and Study Center, New York University, 1985.

Contemporary Indian Painting - Daedalus, Journal of the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fall 1989,

The Human Presence in Painting - Fifty Years of Indian Art, Mohile-Parikh Centre for the Visual Arts, International Conference in Mumbai, 1997.

Gieve Patel has published three books of verses and has written three plays, which have been performed in Mumbai. His collected plays are published by Seagull Books, Calcutta

The artist lives and works in Mumbai, India.