British art historian visits Dhaka
Charles Greig, a distinguished British Art historian, scholar, critic and collector paid a recent visit to Dhaka. Charles grew up in Africa and went to school and University in England. After graduating he joined the fine art auctioneers, Christies. Since 1984 he has worked as an independent art-consultant and scholar specializing in particular on paintings of the Indian sub-continent by 18th and 19th century European and Company School artists. He has been responsible for the formation of a number of impressive private collections of such works including much of the most important at Daylesford House, Gloucestershire, England the house formerly owned by the Governor-General, Warren Hastings. In the early 1990s he acted as art-historical advisor to the Calcutta Tercentenary Trust. In 2003 he assisted with the retrospective exhibition of the major landscape painter, William Hodges in London and at the prestigious Yale Centre for British Art, USA.
During the last few years he has been researching the work of Johann Zoffany in India and has contributed extensively to the catalogue for the exhibition 'Johann Zoffany - Society Observed' which opened at Yale in October 2011 and will move to The Royal Academy in March 2012. Charles has travelled extensively and frequently in the Indian sub-continent and has contributed impressively to a number of publications on Indian painting.
Charles Greig visited Dhaka on a research tour. Recently two very important paintings on Dhaka done in 1787 by arguably the most famous European artist of the 18th century, Johann Zoffany, was identified and authenticated by him which has created quite a sensation in the art circles in the West. Charles was responsible for research and attribution of these exceptional paintings, The South Gate of the Lalbagh and Nagaphon Ghat at Narinda which will be on exhibition at the Royal Academy, London in March of this year.
Comments