Mohammedi Paintings

Nasreen Mohammedi was a significant figure in modern Indian art, known for her abstract works that explored concepts of space, time, and infinity through minimalist drawings and paintings. Born in 1936 in Karachi, before the partition of India and Pakistan, Mohammedi's early life was marked by the shifting political landscape of the subcontinent. She pursued her education in art both in India, at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, and later in London and Paris, where she was exposed to Western modernism and the works of artists like Paul Klee and Constantin Brâncuși, which deeply influenced her artistic development.

Mohammedi's work is characterized by its rigorous geometric forms and her use of line and light to create compositions that invite contemplation. Her artistic output was not prolific, but each piece was the result of intense meditation and refinement, often working with simple materials like ink and paper to produce complex visual and spatial effects. Her oeuvre represents a departure from the more narrative and figurative traditions prevalent in Indian art at the time, positioning her as a pioneer of abstract art in India.

Throughout her career, Mohammedi remained somewhat reclusive, focusing on her teaching position at the Faculty of Fine Arts in the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, where she influenced a generation of artists with her rigorous approach to art and aesthetics. Despite her relative obscurity during her lifetime, her work has posthumously gained international recognition, featured in major exhibitions around the world, including the documenta in Kassel, Germany, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Mohammedi passed away in 2018, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire and challenge the boundaries of abstract art.