New Book Examines Indian Modernist Art Through Decolonial Third World Lens

Art historian Atreyee Gupta's 2025 publication 'Non-Aligned: Art, Decolonization and the Third World Project in India' analyzes 20th-century Indian art through the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement and 1955 Bandung Conference. The book explores how artists like Abanindranath Tagore, Jagdish Swaminathan, and F.N. Souza engaged with transnational solidarity and decolonial thought before the political emergence of the Third World concept. Gupta distinguishes between the geopolitical Third World and an earlier intellectual consciousness, examining connections between Indian modernists and figures like Mexican poet Octavio Paz and Martinican philosopher Frantz Fanon. The work positions Indian interwar and postwar art within Global Modernisms, moving beyond Western-centric art historical narratives.