In the early 1980s, during one of their annual art sojourns to India, over the course of which the storied Herwitz Collection was built, M. F. Husain suggested that Chester and Davida Herwitz meet a young painter, Viren Tanwar. That encounter proved decisive. Chester was struck by Tanwar’s visual language, contemporary in its politics, rooted in the narrative traditions of India, yet distinctly individual in voice. His work echoed India’s layered artistic heritage while boldly stepping into the present, forming a contrast to Husain’s own style, perhaps explaining Husain’s deep admiration for Tanwar.
So strong was Chester’s conviction that he purchased nearly every painting available in Tanwar’s studio and, remarkably, acquired two blank canvases as well! When Davida questioned this, Chester said he could already see the works that would eventually emerge on those empty canvases. It was a moment of instinctive recognition, an affirmation that shaped Tanwar’s artistic journey. Well into the final phase of their collecting years, the Herwitzes continued to acquire his works, making Tanwar one of the last artists to enter their legendary collection.
The encouragement which Tanwar received from Chester Herwitz became an emotional anchor through uncertain times. Their letters, calls, and handwritten notes still accompany him, serving as reminders of a faith, both human and artistic, placed upon a young artist by an experienced collector. That Tanwar had trained at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, where his understanding of structure and narrative deepened, perhaps bolstered Chester Hertwitz's faith, as both Tanwar and he shared a common, culturally intersectional, understanding of art and art history.
This early bolstering notwithstanding, personal circumstances led Viren Tanwar to withdraw from the studio and set his practice aside for nearly ten years. There came a time when he felt he might never pick up a brush again. The turning point arrived unexpectedly. His daughter came across a magazine article about a Sotheby’s auction in New York featuring masterpieces from the Herwitz Collection. Among them were Tanwar's own works, favorably acknowledged, and successfully sold. To Tanwar, it felt like a quiet affirmation, a signal that his artistic voice had not vanished but merely waited in silence. With renewed clarity and resolve, he returned to his studio practice and began to paint once more.
Aicon Contemporary’s connection with Tanwar also began with the Herwitz Collection. The gallery acquired a substantial portion of this historic body of work in the early 2000s, including several of Tanwar’s signature paintings where structured grids and organic forms converged. We sought out artists in the penumbra of the Herwitz Collection, beyond the umbra of M. F. Husain, Souza, Ram Kumar, and the like. We met many and heard their Herwitz stories, but one artist proved elusive—Viren Tanwar.
Out of the blue, at an art fair booth in Delhi, a gentleman stepped forward and introduced himself: “I am Viren Tanwar, and I understand you may have my works.” That moment led to a dialogue and ultimately, this solo exhibition.
Aicon Contemporary is proud to present "Herwitz to Herenow: The Artistic Journey of Viren Tanwar", a showcase of paintings spanning nearly five decades, from the early 1980s to the present. The exhibition traces a journey shaped by memory, belief, resilience, and the quiet artistic voice. Much of the work has not been shown before, whether they come from the artist's studio or from the part of the Herwitz Collection now with Aicon Contemporary. This exhibition is a once in a generation re-discovery of an artist whose artistic resilience is unparalleled, as is his unwavering artistic style.
Viren Tanwar was born in 1952, Hissar, Haryana, India. He received his diploma in Painting from Government College of Art, Chandigarh before pursuing his Masters from Slade School of Fine Art, University College, London on a British Council Scholarship.
The artist lives and works in Greater Noida.