Started by artists Peter Nagy and Alan Belcher, Gallery Nature Morte was a fixture in
New York's East Village art scene from 1982 to 1988 where it became known for
exhibiting works by seminal artists (Vito Acconci, Keith Sonnier, Michelangelo
Pistoletto), artists whose works defined the 1980s (Sherrie Levine, Louise Lawler, Ross
Bleckner, Allan McCollum) and artists who went on to make important contributions
(Robert Gober, Haim Steinbach, Gretchen Bender, Clegg & Guttmann, among many
others). Having moved to India in 1992, Peter Nagy resurrected Nature Morte in New
Delhi in 1997 as an itinerant gallery and a curatorial experiment. Since then, Nature
Morte has become synonymous in India with challenging and experimental forms of art;
championing conceptual, photographic, and installation genres within a commercial
market that remains deeply conservative. Concentrating primarily on the works of Indian
artists, Nature Morte has also organized projects and exhibitions with international artists
coming to India and combining their works with those of Indian artists to foster cross-
cultural communications. In addition to its own programming, Nature Morte has
collaborated with institutions in India such as the British Council, the Alliance Francais,
the Sanskriti Foundation, the India International Centre, the India Habitat Centre and the
National Gallery of Modern Art. In addition to his work as an artist and curator, Peter
Nagy frequently writes on the subject of contemporary art for magazines such as
Artforum, Flash Art and Art India (from Mumbai) while contributing to catalogs for both
museums and private galleries. He has acted as an exhibition coordinator in India for
both the Philadelphia Museum and the Geneva-based NGO Art for the World and he
acts as the curator of contemporary art for the annual Jaipur International Festival.
In December 2003 Nature Morte opened a large new permanent space in central South
Delhi in partnership with the gallery Bose Pacia, who have been exhibiting Indian
contemporary art in New York since 1994. Spread across three floors, the new gallery
space allows multiple artists to be exhibited simultaneously in individual spaces and an
outdoor court is available for large-scale sculpture. Please consult the menu for
Exhibition History and Upcoming Exhibitions for the complete listing of artists and
shows.