Beatrice Wood: Her Art and Her Friends, India and Ojai by Susan Ginsberg

In 1962, Beatrice Wood had an exhibition of about 80 ceramic objects in 14 cities throughout India. She represented the United States government in a cultural exchange through the All India Handicrafts organization. Her art — ceramics and drawings — can be whimsical, but are primarily elegant with metallic glazes reminiscent of Persian pottery of the 9th century. On this tour, Wood gave lectures at schools, cultural centers and museums and she met many dignitaries from the political and cultural world. She returned to India in 1965 to photograph 'tribal art' and then again in 1975. Who was this remarkable woman? She was an intimate of Marcel Duchamp, the artist that changed the course of modern art, and a participant in avant-garde circles in New York and Paris in the teens and active with Dada groups (sometimes called the Mama of Dada). She was also close friends with Jiddu Krishnamurti, Rukmini Arundale, and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. She stayed in touch with Inder Kumar Gujral, and Biju Patniak and she readily embraced all things Indian including wearing a sari every day in India and the US. Her approach to life and art was to combine the wisdom of the East, positive thinking and a strong work ethic with a Dadaist sense of humor.

Susan Ginsburg
Susan Ginsburg lives in New York and has been teaching art history for many years at the School of Visual Arts and has worked as a curator for a number of private collections as well as advisor to investors. She has travelled widely in Europe, the Far East and more recently India. In the past few years, she has been studying philosophy of art and the cosmic dimension of the avant-garde in the Europe and the US.

This lecture was organised as a collaboration between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) and the Museum Society of Mumbai (MSM) and was supported by Jai & Sugandha Hiremath, Hikal. Ltd.