Art by Reba Hore

| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Broken Foot Journal & Other Stories is an exhibition celebrating the birth centenary of artist Reba Hore. As many as 142 original drawings and text pages from the artist’s diary are on display after being exhibited in Kolkata, Hyderabad and the Bihar Museum in Patna.According to Naveen Kishore, founder of Kolkata-based Seagull Foundation for the Arts, the artist had asked him to bring her a diary when she was laid up following a hip replacement surgery. While recuperating, she filled the diary with poems and sketches.These works comprise Broken Foot Journal & Other Stories and this show also marks the first of many collaborations between the Seagull Foundation for the Arts and Chitrakala Parishath.According to Megha Malhotra, director, Seagull Foundation for the Arts, Reba’s centenary year was the primary reason why her works were being shown around the country. “The importance of her work speaks for itself, especially because during her lifetime, Reba chose to stay in the background. She was not one for showing her work or finding a space in the ‘marketplace of art’, but she was prolific.”Reba’s husband Somnath Hore, was also a gifted artist, print maker and sculptor. Naveen Kishore had a long standing relationship with the Hore family, says Megha. “As a regular visitor to their home, Naveen was exposed to the work Reba was doing and was quite fascinated by it as she painted everything she saw around her,” she says, adding Seagull held a large exhibition of Reba’s work in 2006, after which they began taking it to other cities.When the Seagull Foundation, which manages the archives of Reba and Somnath, began getting requests to borrow works for shows at art fairs both in India and abroad, “We decided to take her works to different parts of the country as we felt this interest in her work was long overdue”.Megha believes the the appeal of Reba’s work lies in its simple beauty. “Visiting the show will give viewers great joy. After all, who is not attracted to beauty? And who does not respond to a medium of art? I feel we are all tuned to appreciate beauty in a certain way.”“I firmly believe her works could be an introduction to the power of art.”Broken Foot Journal & Other Stories, an exhibition of artworks by Reba Hore, will be on display at Chitrakala Parishath till June 30. Entry free Published - June 24, 2026 07:16 pm IST