When MF Husain paid 11 dirhams for artist Kalpana Shah’s painting in Dubai

(Oct 27, 2026) A self-taught artist and founder of Mumbai’s Tao Art Gallery, Kalpana Shah has exhibited her work in India and internationally, including in Singapore and London. From receiving encouragement from MF Husain, who bought one of her paintings in Dubai for 11 dirhams, to presenting her latest solo exhibition, The Shapes of Elsewhere, in Mumbai, her journey spans painting, sculpture, installation and art collecting.

Years ago, Kalpana Shah participated in a group exhibition in London, where her work caught the attention of Tony Pontone, the gallerist of Albemarle Gallery. Impressed by her paintings, he wanted to meet her.

When they met, he learnt that Kalpana was not only an artist but also a collector and gallerist. He proposed a group exhibition at his gallery featuring her work alongside that of five other Indian artists. Kalpana sent four of her paintings, which sold in no time.

What made the experience even more special was discovering that her paintings had gone on to be displayed in the main lounge of the Patek Philippe showroom on Bond Street, where they still hang today.

“As artists, we do not always know where our work ends up or who will connect with it. To know that my paintings had found a place in such a prestigious setting was a wonderful surprise,” Kalpana tells The Global Indian.

A self-taught artist, collector and founder of Tao Art Gallery in Mumbai, Kalpana works across painting, sculpture and installation. Her practice explores colour, texture and materiality, reflecting her interest in experimentation and the expressive possibilities of abstraction.

“For me, art has always been about instinct, freedom and finding a language that is truly my own,” she says.

Exploring memory and space

Her solo exhibition, The Shapes of Elsewhere, is currently underway at Tao Art Gallery.

Curated by Arnaud Morand, an independent curator based between Saudi Arabia and France, the exhibition features paintings and spatial installations exploring the intersection of memory, architecture and personal experience.

Kalpana says the exhibition traces a process of discovery across three distinct bodies of work. It begins with a series of architectural paintings she started in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, moves through the circular abstractions that followed, and culminates in a newly commissioned group of three-dimensional works that can be traced back to her first work of this kind, created in 2009.

“It isn’t a straight line from figuration to abstraction. Abstraction doesn’t simply replace figuration here,” she explains, noting that the same visual vocabulary runs through all three bodies of work, including repeated gestures, tactile surfaces, patterned intervals and images built patiently over time.

The work first explores architecture, then moves away from representation altogether before taking on physical volume within the gallery.

Drawing inspiration from Gaston Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space, the exhibition examines how physical environments can become emotional landscapes. It also showcases Kalpana’s distinctive knife-work technique and her recent expansion into immersive, three-dimensional installations.

Five newly commissioned works made from acrylic-painted canvas assembled into three-dimensional modules form part of the exhibition, which opened on October 12 and runs until November 15.

Arranged at different heights, the modules suggest an unfamiliar skyline, part settlement, part model and part city, not yet built.

From a childhood love of drawing to finding her own artistic language

As a child, Kalpana loved drawing and sketching. Her schoolteachers recognised her interest and encouraged her, often keeping her notebooks and sketchbooks to show other students as examples. She studied at Sarala Sarjan School in Mumbai and would even draw people’s profiles with her fingers when she had neither paper nor a pencil.

“My parents proudly showed my drawings to guests who visited home. I enjoyed creating things, but never considered art a serious pursuit at the time,” recalls Kalpana, who later studied at Narsee Monjee College.

Her journey as an artist began with painting as a hobby. “I am a self-taught artist and have never formally studied art or learnt its techniques,” she says.

One day, her daughter pointed out that she had not painted in a long time. Kalpana immediately got a canvas and began painting. Instead of a brush, she picked up a palette knife. “Luckily, I had my colours, and my first painting was in black, white and silver,” she recalls. She has kept that painting in her personal collection to this day.

That marked the beginning of her journey as an artist. “I learnt to trust my instincts and give myself the freedom to create.”

An artist who once visited her home to deliver a painting Kalpana had purchased from Jehangir Art Gallery encouraged her to stop worrying about what to paint and simply allow herself to be free on the canvas. The advice stayed with her. Over time, Kalpana developed her own artistic language and learnt to translate her ideas onto the canvas.

I often get glimpses of a work in my mind before I create it, something I associate with my meditation practice. At other times, the painting develops spontaneously as I work. I continue to discover new ideas, and that is what makes this journey so exciting.

Kalpana Shah

When MF Husain bought her painting for 11 dirhams

Renowned painter MF Husain was among the first people to recognise Kalpana’s artistic language. His encouragement gave her tremendous confidence in her work.

When he saw one of her paintings in Dubai years ago, he asked who had created it. “I was very shy about telling him that I had painted it myself. He looked at the work and told me that while there were many painters in the world, very few were artists, and that I had found my own language.”

Husain advised Kalpana not to paint in front of people because they might copy her style. She was pleasantly surprised when he then asked if he could buy her painting.

I told MF Husain I had never fixed a price and that he need not pay me. Instead, I asked him to give me just 11 dirhams as a token. He agreed and handed me the money.

Kalpana Shah

Husain suggested signing the notes so that they would not get mixed up with other currency. He autographed them, and Kalpana has preserved them to this day. “That remains one of my most treasured memories,” she says.

Building an art space and collection

Kalpana founded Tao Art Gallery in the heart of Mumbai in 2000. For her, opening the gallery was about creating a space where she could be surrounded by art and artists.

“It brought focus to my creative interests and gave me an opportunity to engage more deeply with the art world.” The gallery also became an important part of her journey as a collector. Through its exhibitions, she had opportunities to acquire works she deeply admired.

“Once I buy a painting I truly love, I find it very difficult to part with it. That is how my collection grew, quite naturally.”

Over the years, Tao has hosted exhibitions by several artists, including two solo shows by Raza, as well as exhibitions by MF Husain and Krishen Khanna. “One of the important exhibitions was Ashtanayak, which brought together works by eight masters and received considerable international attention in 2001,” she says.

Another significant milestone was her solo exhibition My Universe, held in Singapore in November 2023. The response was overwhelming, with audiences connecting with her work and engaging with an artistic perspective from India. “Every exhibition offers a new platform, a new audience and an opportunity to explore a different concept.”

 

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Supporting artists and giving back

Through the Tao Art Foundation, Kalpana supports artists and helps them in their journeys.

Art has given so much to my life, and I feel it is important to create opportunities for artists and contribute to the wider art community.

Kalpana Shah

Philanthropy has also long been part of her family’s values. Through the Satellite Foundation, she supports her staff and their families by providing medical facilities, supporting children’s education and offering loans.

“For years, we have provided medical facilities, supported children’s education and offered loans. For us, charity begins at home.”

She also supports schools for the visually impaired and gurukuls where young students learn Sanskrit, the Vedas and the Upanishads. The foundation contributes to gaushalas as well. “I believe that giving back can take many forms, and I try to support a range of causes wherever I can.”

In addition, her extended family runs the Somchand Zaverchand Shah Family Trust, through which she supports food distribution.

Life beyond the studio

Kalpana’s day usually begins around 7 am with a healthy smoothie, followed by yoga or strength training. “Painting can put a strain on the neck, hands and shoulders over time, so staying fit is important,” says Kalpana, who works with a physiotherapist and a trainer.

After breakfast, she heads to her studio at around 11.30 am. She lives in the same building as Tao Art Gallery. “My studio is my own little dreaming space, where I can read, write and paint freely,” she says.

Beyond painting, Kalpana enjoys designing jewellery and clothes and has a keen interest in interior design. “I enjoy the process of creating something and seeing how different elements come together.”

She also enjoys watching films and following sports, particularly tennis, cricket and football. Spending time with family and close friends remains an important part of her life.

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