A post-progressive, pre-contemporary-era painter through his career, Prabhakar Barwe works were considered far ahead of his time and transcended traditional creative norms. His artistic journey is currently being celebrated in a solo exhibition. “We were fortunate to acquire a single collection of his works on paper, covering various styles of his practice—both academic and quintessential—and decided to add a few more from our inventory,” shares Puneet Shah, director at art gallery Akara.

Born in Nagaon in 1936, Barwe graduated from Sir JJ School of Art in 1959, joining the Weavers’ Service Centre (WSC) in then Madras, where fine artists were invited to renew the dying art of textiles. A couple of years later, he was posted at the centre’s branch in Varanasi, a city ripe with tradition and culture, where his artistic style took a clear turn after being exposed to tantric philosophy and design. Though a firm believer in the present, reading horoscopes became a hobby, and symbols and elements from it found a distinct place on his canvas.