Deep Dive | The Life of Krishna Reddy

Simultaneity may not be an absolute relation between events; what is simultaneous in one frame of reference will not necessarily be simultaneous in another. Unlike in physics which is restricted by laws governed by mathematics where the attainment of absolute simultaneity can only be a theoretical proposition, Reddy's practice unbound by the unyielding parameters of science, truly perfected a simultaneous balance between technique, philosophy and vision.

Krishna Reddy's (b.1925 – d. 2018) seven-decade long practice has been in several ways a quest in simultaneity not only in pursuit of form, medium and technique but also in expanding philosophy and in ways of seeing. The solo project at Experimenter presents Reddy's exceptionally multi-dimensional and layered artistic oeuvre as a way of life that incorporated a daily immersion in drawing, printmaking and sculpture, which remained true to exploring simultaneous relationships between multiple disciplines being at play at the same time. Reddy drew from a plethora of experiences and was inspired by several divergent conceptual ideas to develop his own language. Initially trained in Tagore's Santiniketan under the tutelage of the influential Ramkinkar Baij and Nandalal Bose, whose guidance was significant throughout Reddy's career. In 1949 he moved to London studying sculpture at Slade School of Fine Art in Henry Moore's class. Thereafter, he spent over two decades in Paris, first at the studio of Ossip Zadkine and then eventually directing Stanley William Hayter's Atelier 17, which was at the time, a thriving hub for stalwarts like Joan Miro, Constantin Brancusi, Pablo Picasso, and Alberto Giacometti, with all of whom Reddy closely worked. At Atelier 17, he developed and invented the process that he is most well-known for – simultaneous multicolour viscosity printing, and broke new ground in intaglio printmaking. In 1976, Reddy moved from Paris to New York, establishing the Color Print Atelier soon after. He became the Director of graphics and printmaking in the art department at New York University, a position he held until 2002. Over the years Reddy's influence on generations of artists, some of whom were his students, left an indelible impression.

Biographies

Judith Blum Reddy ,wife of late Krishna Reddy, lives and works in New York. She received her BFA from Cooper Union, New York and has exhibited internationally since the 1970s. She has shown in New York City at MoMA PS1; Art in General; The New Museum; The Bronx Museum of the Arts; ABC No Rio; Rutgers University, New Jersey; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Galeria Nicolas Deman, Paris; Dak'Art Biennial; Istanbul Biennial; Sao Paulo Biennale; amongst others. Blum Reddy's work is in the collections of The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio; Fond National d'Art Contemporain and Centre National d'Art de Grenoble, France.

Navina Najat Haidar is the Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah Curator in Charge of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has published and lectured widely on the arts of the Mughal and Deccan courts and organized several exhibitions at the Met. In 2016 she and Jennifer Farrell co-curated the show: Workshop and Legacy: Stanley William Hayter, Krishna Reddy, Zarina Hashmi.

Jennifer Farrell is Associate Curator in the Department of Drawings and Prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. At the Met, she curated the exhibition World War I and the Visual Arts and Ragnar Kjartansson:Death is Elsewhere and co-curated Workshop and Legacy: Stanley William Hayter, Krishna Reddy, and Zarina Hashmi with Navina Haidar, the Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah Curator in Charge of Islamic Art, in addition to numerous focused displays and rotations. Previously, she held curatorial positions at the Yale University Art Gallery and the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program. She has taught at several institutions, lectured extensively, and authored numerous reviews, essays, and books, including serving as the lead author and editor for The History and Legacy of Samuel M. Kootz and the Kootz Gallery (2017), Lucian Freud: Etchings (2015), Suzanne McClelland STrAY: Found Poems from a Lost Time (2013), and Get There and Decide Promptly: The Richard Brown Baker Collection of Postwar Art (2012), which received a National Endowment for the Arts award and The Frick Collection's 2013 Book Prize for a Distinguished Publication in the History of Collecting in America.