Pablo Bartholomew Exhibits Intimate Portraits Of Famous Indian Personalities in 60/60

Pablo Bartholomew Exhibits Intimate Portraits Of Famous Indian Personalities in 60/60
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4 min read

Popularly known for his outstanding work in photojournalism, Pablo Bartholomew is a legend whose career spans over four decades and numerous cities. Through his lens he's witnessed many of the region's historical landmarks, such as the Emergency and its aftershocks, and the demolition of the Babri Masjid. His haunting images of the Bhopal gas tragedy still linger in our minds till today, the iconic photograph of a half-buried body of a child victim won him the World Press Photo of the Year award. Bartholomew grew up in an artistic household, his mother Rati Batra was an active theatre personality and a founding member of the theatre company Yatrik. His father Richard Bartholomew was a poet, photographer, painter and art critic; it was no surprise that their son too took to the artistic field and picked up photography, a craft he learned from his father.

His latest exhibition is very different from what you may expect from the renowned photographer. Having turned 60 last month, Bartholomew dug through his personal archives and unearthed a series of images that he is currently showcasing at the Sakshi Gallery in Mumbai, in an exhibition titled 60/60, a part of Mumbai Gallery Weekend, an collaborated initiative by art galleries across the city.

Pablo Bartholomew

Portraits of Menaka Gandhi during a performance and Documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan (Left) .Pablo Bartholomew (right) image courtesy: Olivia Bonnal Sansoni

Outside In: A Tale of 3 Cities

Bombay: Chronicles of a Past Life

The Calcutta Diaries

Bartholomew’s stint as a still photographer on the set of two films, Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982) and Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977) produced some of his best and most enigmatic photographs in the series. His favourite image is of a bare-chested Amjad Khan in a green room during the filming of Satyajit Ray’s film in Kolkata.

He has captured in his series some of the country's most prominent personalities and artists in a previously unseen light and unlikely settings at various stages of artistic development. The exhibition is eye candy for all film and art enthusiasts and saying it's worth a visit would be an understatement, we suggest you catch it while you can.

Where: Sakshi Gallery -  6/19, 2nd Floor, Grants Building, Arthur Bunder Road, Near Radio Club, Colaba, Mumbai. For more information you can visit the Gallery's website and the exhibitions Facebook page.

Scroll down to see some of our favourites from the exhibition, all images courtesy Pablo Bartholomew and Sakshi Gallery.

Poet Adil Jussawala
Poet Adil JussawalaPablo Bartholomew
Young Maneka Gandhi performing in a play during her college days
Young Maneka Gandhi performing in a play during her college daysPablo Bartholomew
Actress Smita Patil in Pablo Bartholomew's room, Bombay (1980)
Actress Smita Patil in Pablo Bartholomew's room, Bombay (1980)Pablo Bartholomew
Mira Nair and Shashi Tharoor as Cleopatra and Antony, Delhi (1980)
Mira Nair and Shashi Tharoor as Cleopatra and Antony, Delhi (1980)Pablo Bartholomew
Actor Saeed Jaffrey pool-side at the Sea Rock Hotel during the shooting of the film ‘Gandhi’.
Actor Saeed Jaffrey pool-side at the Sea Rock Hotel during the shooting of the film ‘Gandhi’.Pablo Bartholomew
Satyajit Ray at Haji Ali, Mumbai (1977)
Satyajit Ray at Haji Ali, Mumbai (1977)Pablo Bartholomew
Actor Amjad Khan in a greenroom, Calcutta (1976)
Actor Amjad Khan in a greenroom, Calcutta (1976)Pablo Bartholomew
Documentary film-maker Anand Patwardhan
Documentary film-maker Anand PatwardhanPablo Bartholomew
Model Karen Lunel, the 80s Liril girl, and (background) actress and singer Sharon Prabhakar
Model Karen Lunel, the 80s Liril girl, and (background) actress and singer Sharon Prabhakar Pablo Bartholomew
Actors Alok Nath and Mona Chawla in Harold Pinter’s The Lover, directed by Feisal Alkazi, Delhi (1976)
Actors Alok Nath and Mona Chawla in Harold Pinter’s The Lover, directed by Feisal Alkazi, Delhi (1976)Pablo Bartholomew
On set, Ben Kingsley as Gandhi, New Delhi (1981)
On set, Ben Kingsley as Gandhi, New Delhi (1981)Pablo Bartholomew
Actor Anupam Kher in his hostel room, Chandigarh (1974)
Actor Anupam Kher in his hostel room, Chandigarh (1974)Pablo Bartholomew
Actress Shabana Azmi visits the dancing girls’ quarters on GB Road, Delhi (1980)
Actress Shabana Azmi visits the dancing girls’ quarters on GB Road, Delhi (1980)Pablo Bartholomew
Actor Om Puri in a Kabuki play performed at the National School of Drama New Delhi (1975)
Actor Om Puri in a Kabuki play performed at the National School of Drama New Delhi (1975)Pablo Bartholomew
Painter and poet Gieve Patel in his studio with daughter Avaan.
Painter and poet Gieve Patel in his studio with daughter Avaan.Pablo Bartholomew
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