Edge of Desire: Recommended Reading List

Bollywood Cinema by V.Mishra
Paperback, $28.95
Member’s Price: $26.05

India is home to Bollywood–and to the largest film industry in the world. Bombay/Mumbai, the center of Bollywood, produces some 200 of the 800 films per year that are viewed by roughly 11 million people per day. In Bollywood Cinema, Vijay Mishra argues that Indian film production and reception are shaped by the desire for national community and a pan-Indian popular culture. Seeking to understand Bollywood according to its own narrative and aesthetic principles and in relation to a global film industry, he views Indian cinema through the dual methodologies of postcolonial studies and film theory.

Call Of The Real - Contemporary Indian Artists From Bengal by M. Sinha
Hardcover, $65.00
Member’s Price: $58.50

Modern Indian painting came into its own when artists began to fuse traditional approaches with the bold experimentation of the West. Indian subjects are treated in startlingly different ways as these eleven artists from Bengal evoke through symbol, myth, colors and lines, the rich and complex aspects of this amazing land. This book contains 145 color illustrations.

Contemporary Indian Art: Other Realities by Y. Dalmia
Hardcover, $66.00
Member’s Price: $59.40

This volume provides a much-needed perspective on contemporary Indian art, offering a dynamic rather than a static way of approaching the subject. Instead of a mere chronicling of modes and elucidation of styles of art which are now well known, the essays, written by scholars, deal with questions which, though often asked, remain open-ended. Within the broad conceptual framework of each essay, the works of individual artists are discussed.

Conversations with Traditions: Nilima Sheikh and Shahzia Sikander by V. Desai
Paperback, $28.95
Member’s Price: $26.05

The works of Shahzia Sikander and Nilima Sheikh resolutely refer to the pictorial practice of the past. Equally apparent is the fact that neither engages in an obvious revival of the miniature painting technique of pre-colonial India or uses pictorial technique to create a romantic nostalgia of the “golden age” of pre-modern India. In the trajectory of twentieth-century art in the sub-continent of South Asia, Sikander and Sheikh are among a relatively small group of artists who engage in developing an active relationship with the forms that refer to earlier visual traditions of India.

Figurative Non Figurative Narration by N. Tuli
Paperback, $65.00
Member’s Price: $58.50

This richly illustrated book contains a selection of modern and contemporary Indian paintings. A bibliography of books on Indian art is also provided.

Forty Masterpieces of 20th Century Drawings and Paintings by N. Tuli
Hardcover, $45.00
Member’s Price: $40.50

Produced in conjunction with the Auction of the same name held in Mumbai on 27 March 2003, this publication takes forward Osian’s (which is India’s pioneering arts institution and auction house) focus on providing an increasingly rare opportunity for the serious collector to possess masterpieces and museum-quality works. The works have been selected by Tuli, who has, over the last decade, been instrumental in nurturing the aesthetic sensibilities and tastes of a latent and largely untutored art market.

Indian Art by Partha Mitter
Paperback, $19.95
Member’s Price: $17.95

This new survey guides the reader through over 2000 years of Indian art and architecture. A rich artistic tradition is fully explored through the Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, colonial, and contemporary periods, incorporating discussion of modern Bangladesh and Pakistan, traditional women artists, tribal artists, and the decorative arts. Combining a clear overview with much fascinating detail, Mitter succeeds in bringing to life the true diversity of Indian culture.

Masterpieces And Museum Quality lll by N. Tuli
Paperback, $70.00
Member’s Price: $63.00

This catalog contains a selection of contemporary Indian paintings with rare books and vintage cinema memorabilia. A bibliography is also provided.

Masterpieces and Museum - Quality Indian Modern and Contemporary Paintings by N. Tuli
Paperback, $70.00
Member’s Price: $63.00

Produced in conjunction with the Auction of the same name, this publication showcases one of the finest collections of Indian Modern & Contemporary Paintings ever brought together for sale. The Works have been historically contextualized through seven sections, The Art of Portraiture/ Studies of the Female & Other Life Forms/ Religious Icons & Narrative/ Folk & Tribal Art as Inspirational Platform/ Demons of Unrelenting Introspection/ Social Responsibility as the Aesthetic Work Ethic/ Nature, Landscape & Cityscape as Inspiration, with clear pricing and illustration references.

To see the latest Asia Society publications, go to Publications.

Interviews with Authors on AsiaSource.org: Family Matters: An Interview with Rohinton Mistry The Kamasutra Translated: An Interview with Sudhir Kakar An Interview with Jael Silliman, author of Jewish Portraits, Indian Frames: Women's Narratives from a Diaspora of Hope Interview with Thrity Umrigar, author of Bombay Time Growing Up Bicultural: An Interview with Tamim Ansary AsiaSource Interviews archive