Why do decades’ worth of drawings and paintings lie unappreciated in the lifetime of an artist...do we really leave the uncovering of talent up to fate ? Why do some hit the orbit of media ,gallery and auction house, are given the headlines and come to be firmly ensconced in the pantheon of art and auction history while others languish in dusty damp attics ?
Galleries and art historians seem time and again to wake up and smell the coffee posthumously .Why do these power houses of talent get ravaged by fate and penury only to get vaulted out of obscurity long after they leave us. Is it because art critics and galleries are oblivious or indifferent to those beyond the cocktail circuit ? Does art have to be cutting edge and slickly marketed to grab the headlines ?Or is it time we start looking and reading between and beyond the lines of the glossies and the page threes. History seems to be repeating itself in the sleepy little village of Pomburpa where a reticent mild mannered gentlemen at 82 continues to let his art consume his waking hours , ceaselessly letting his lines unfold the stories of the pain and love he has felt .The plurality of his background and history account for the depth and richness of his works. His works could have featured alongside F.N. Souza, M.F. Husain or S.H. Raza, his contemporaries in modernism, yet nobody has heard of him outside of Goa. *Event Listing:* * * Gallery Gitanjali will be hosting the book launch of the long awaited biography of one of Goa's greatest living legends in the world of Art, Vamona Navelcar on April 12,2013 at 6 pm. Entitled "Vamona Navelcar : An Artist of Three Continents " ,this book by Anne Kettringham will be a *limited edition print signed personally by Vamona. * The book launch will also mark the *opening of a retrospective exhibition* of this exceptional master of the line.*Gallery Gitanjali will host this exhibition from the 12-19 of April*,*2013* to proffer a quintessential sampling of his phenomenal oeuvre of work which spans several decades and continents. *Gallery Gitanjali (www.gallerygitanjali.com) is one of Goa's oldest galleries and is housed in the charming Latin Quarter of Fontainhas ,Panjim across three heritage homes which have been converted into heritage hotels ( www.panjiminn.com)* *Press Release :* *On April 12 ,2013 at 6 pm **Gallery Gitanjali will host the book launch of * *“Vamona Navelcar-An Artist of Three Continents” by Anne Kettringham * to honour and celebrate the singular journey of “Ganesh” Vamona Ananta Sinai Navelcar . Twice recipient of Gulbenkian fellowships (1963 and 1971), in 1968 Vamona won an international award at the International Exhibition of Art in Monte Carlo for his ink drawing, “Angoche Woman”. His works are in private collections and museums worldwide, having had nine solo exhibitions in Lisbon from 1962-1981, at Antonio Enes and Nampula (1963, 1974), London (1969), Geneva <http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Geneva> (1972), Laurenco Marques (1970), Macao (1980) and Goa (1977, 1993, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2006) besides group shows in India and abroad. Vamona’s oeuvre spans several decades, continents and media including murals and bas-relief composed of metallic, wooden and glass structures. *The book launch will also mark the opening of a retrospective exhibition of this exceptional master of line. Gallery Gitanjali will host this exhibition from the 12-19 of April,2013 to proffer a glimpse of these remarkable works of art which are but a quintessential sampling of this reticent living legend’s immense body of work.* Anne’s biography of Vamona delves into his trials, tribulations and triumphs intertwined as they were with the history of the times and continents he lived in; the odyssey that has shaped him into the inspiring man and the great artist he is. A chance introduction, four years back with this octogenarian “artist with no boundaries” left Anne, a retired Aeronautical Engineer and an avid avian photographer intrigued by the sheer power and poetry in the works and words of this soft spoken gentlemen who quoted philosophers, poets and writers . Inspired by the wonder of his works she was encouraged and supported by Mr. Anthony Athaide of Village Sanctuary Arts to unravel in the pages of her book the story of this extraordinary man who lives cocooned in the quiet village of Pomburpa and manifest to the community at large the treasure that has lain neglected in their backyard. Slated to be translated into Portuguese later, the book will be available as a *limited edition* of only 200 copies, *personally signed by Vamona Navelcar at the Book Launch at Gallery Gitanjali.* *-Miriam Koshy- Sukhija * *For further details on the event or to book your copy kindly contact us at :* *[email protected]* <[email protected]>* / 9823572035* *To be a part of the event in spirit or in person join us at :* http://www.facebook.com/events/146150922215953/ (Book Launch and Exhibtion Event Page ) http://www.facebook.com/VamonaNavelcar?ref=stream (Vamona's page maintained by Anne Kettrigham) *ARTICLES IN THE PRESS:* Times of India –Crest Edition -29/03/2013 http://www.timescrest.com/culture/an-artist-with-three-mothers-10019 Marg. Volume 64 Number 2<https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marg-art.org%2Fp%2F648%2Fvolume-64-number-2&ei=KhhdUYS2CIr3rQflg4GYDQ&usg=AFQjCNE_qGr7i3lFmxvMbYbtFolYIT-l6A&sig2=zjbyGsJB1jFKExwIwUfLvw&bvm=bv.44770516,d.bmk> http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Destined+Journeys%3A+the+paintings+of+Angelo+da+Fonseca+and+Vamona...-a0315920713 * Gallery Gitanjali E-212,31st January Road,* *Opp.Panjim Inn,* *Near People's High School, Fontainhas,Panjim, Goa-403001 India www.gallerygitanjali.com*
