VIJAY DEVERAKONDA DISCUSSES HIS DEBUT HINDI MOVIE LIGER
Rapidly rising film star Vijay Deverakonda has been unstoppable since 2017 Telugu film Arjun Reddy became a blockbuster success.
He turned down the chance to headline its super successful Hindi remake Kabir Singh (2019) and put together an impressive list of blockbuster successes in his native language. The dashing actor will finally make his hotly anticipated Bollywood entry with new action-drama Liger.
The Puri Jagannadh directed film, shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu, sees him play an MMA fighter with a stutter. He transformed himself for the fearsome role opposite actress Ananya Panday.
Known for his explosive performances, unique fashion choices, and abundant sex appeal, the 33-year-old is looking to step up a gear with this action entertainer. He sat down with Eastern Eye to discuss Liger, training hard for it, and what draws him towards flawed characters.
He also spoke about working with boxing champion Mike Tyson in the film, his huge popularity among women, incredible Indian Idol gesture, and those who have played an important part in his life.
After delivering some blockbusters down south, you set your foot in Bollywood with Liger. How excited are you?
I’m extremely excited. It’s a blessing and a huge opportunity to be able to make a pan-India film and reach such a wide audience. To interact with people from all across the country, while promoting the film and tell them your story. I love big auditoriums. I love performing in front of big crowds, and there is no bigger auditorium than India, you know.
Tell us a little bit about your character?
So, as you must have seen in the trailer, Liger revolves around boxing. I play a guy who stammers. The film basically focuses on his journey; of how a boy from the lanes of Mumbai becomes an MMA fighter.
What gravitated you towards choosing this part?
Every scene is a high in the film. When I heard the name of the film and read the story, I was like, ‘I want to play this guy. I want this story to be told through me’. Every scene has been written brilliantly. The character was so much fun to play. It’s a visual spectacle. Everything kind of fell into place.
How did you prep for your part in the film and what challenges did you face?
There was this challenge of pulling off a stammer and physically transforming myself. When I read the script, I visualised how should Liger look. I didn’t look like him at all. So, I had to transform my body completely to look a certain way. I had to do one and a half years of intense physical training to get into that shape.
Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday in Liger
And what about learning how to stammer?
What makes the character of Liger even more interesting for me was the stammer that he has. When I heard the script, I thought that was one of the most interesting aspects of it. I had no idea how I would pull it off, but I wanted to do this film. It was tough because even if I am angry, I need to communicate that anger properly and with a stammer and, at the same time, make sure that it does not come in between emotions. To be able to emote and say all sorts of dialogues with a stammer was really challenging, yet fun for me to do.
Tell us about the martial arts training you did to prepare for your role?
I had to train really hard. I went to Thailand and spent a couple of weeks at a bootcamp. After returning from Thailand, as I told you earlier also, I did one and a half years of intense weight training and learned fighting. You will see there is a very high standard of action in this film. Our fight choreographer is from Thailand, and he likes to choreograph his action as if it’s some dance form. He used to make me do eight to nine sequences in one go before saying ‘cut’. There is a lot of action in the film, so I had to train well in advance.
You seem very calm and composed in real life, but are playing an action-oriented role in the movie Liger. How difficult is it to play someone who is diametrically opposite to your personality?
If someone makes a film based on how I am in real life, the audience will sleep in theatres (laughs). I speak in such a slow, soft drawl with a shy smile that they will definitely fall asleep. They go to theatres to watch a hero on screen.
How was it to work with Mike Tyson?
What can I say about him? I mean, he is a legend, and it was amazing working with him. You get to learn so much when you work with someone like him. Ananya (Panday) and I had a gala time working with Mike.
I watched some of your popular Telugu films during lockdown and realised that you are quite fascinated by anti-hero roles…
I like flawed characters. I won’t say they are anti-heroes; they all were good guys. We are all flawed in some way or the other. I think I am a very flawed person myself. I like flawed, real characters that feel real and have that vulnerability, and characters that are insecure but have their own strengths.
How proud do you feel that your first Bollywood film is yet to release but you have already been declared a superstar, with fans going crazy?
I feel very blessed that I am getting this sort of love. Recently, I visited a mall in Mumbai and my mother saw the footage on TV or social media. She called me in the evening and was crying. She said, ‘Vijay, what’s this turnout and why are people coming and giving so much love?’ I still haven’t exactly grasped what’s happening. Maybe, one year later when I sit and look back, I will understand what exactly happened.
You have been promoting your film across Indian states. How has the experience been so far?
I feel people from Bihar are very interesting. They are my type of people. Gujaratis are very sweet. Even their food is very sweet, you know. The press has been welcoming everywhere we went. It’s been a great experience.
You have also been getting a lot of female attention. Have you been so popular among girls since college or is this all very new for you?
I was very scared of girls in college. Most boys are scared of girls while they are growing up. I basically grew up in a boys’ hostel. I was six when I was put in a boarding school. I was 16 when I came back to Hyderabad, and it was the first time I was interacting with girls. I wouldn’t be able to look into their eyes. Girls were very disappointed with me because some of them would share their contact numbers, but I would never call them.
So, when did you realise you were hugely popular among girls?
I started to feel the attention and love a couple of years ago. There is no exact moment as such. People around me told me, ‘women love you a lot. They come to your movies a lot’. I would go to events and see a lot of women turn up. Slowly, I understood there is some sort of connect they feel with me. Once I met an astrologer who told me that my Mars and Venus are positioned in such a house that women would always play a big role in my life (laughs).
Which women have played a major role in your life?
My nani (maternal grandmother) was very close to me and played a big role in my life. My mom has played a very big role in my life. One of my first films was produced by two women. All the women that were in my life contributed a lot to my career.
There were reports of you signing Indian Idol 12 contestant Shanmukha Priya for a song in Liger. Tell us something about that?
Yes, she has sung the Tamil and Telugu version of a song in this film. So, one day I got a call from Sony (Entertainment Television). They said, ‘there is this singer who is a huge fan of yours’. I was shooting back then so I was not following the show but told them I would immediately send her a message because, if I am not wrong, it was the show’s finale week.
Today, I am in a position where I can do something special for people, so asked her if she would like to sing a song in my film, and she said ‘yes’. But I saw her videos first to make sure she sang well, and she did. So, I told my producers about her and said, ‘let’s get her to sing a song in the film’.
Is there a plan to do more Hindi films in the future?
It was a dream to make a pan-India film. Now, the dream is to make more pan-India films (laughs). Having said that, if the audience wants to watch it, only then can I make it. If they want to watch more of me, whatever movies I make hereon, I will make for the whole of India.
From the moment Poppy and Rubina stepped onto the stage of Soho Theatre in central London for Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not to Come, the energy was electric, the laughs non-stop, and the message loud and clear: British Asian women are done with silence.
What began as a ground-breaking, award-winning podcast that sparked online backlash for daring to talk openly about sex and relationships within South Asian communities has now evolved into arguably the most unique and fearless live show of the year.
Set against a cheekily colourful bedroom backdrop, this dynamic duo dived headfirst into everything from sex, shame, fantasies and motherhood to the layered realities of growing up as British Asian women. With sharp, smart transitions between confessional-style conversation and character-driven sketches, the show
managed to feel both intimately honest and wildly theatrical.
It is rare to witness a show that is both this hilarious and this importantAMG
One moment they were sat discussing sexual awakenings and mother–daughter culture clashes; the next, they were morphing into wickedly satirical versions of Priti Patel and Suella Braverman or belting out a catchy song – a side-splitting ode to Jolen bleach and body hair, brilliantly riffing off Dolly Parton’s Jolene. A recurring sketch involving a “Coconut Crimes Hotline” was a comedic masterstroke, and their hilarious mother–daughter bits had most in the audience instantly relating.
It is no surprise the crowd, largely women, many of them British Asian, responded with raucous joy. This representation, delivered with bite, boldness and belly laughs, made them feel seen. They did not just watch Mama Told Me Not to Come – they felt it, because it reflected them.
Poppy and Rubina’s magnetic chemistry, unstoppable presence and ability to straddle personal vulnerability with political satire was nothing short of genius. It is rare to witness a show that is both this hilarious and this important. And just when you think it is all laughs, they deliver a powerful emotional gut punch, ending the evening with heartfelt letters to their respective mothers, which brought tears to many eyes and underlined just how deeply the show resonates.
This is not just a standout – it is the show that is going to take the Edinburgh Fringe by storm in August. Bold,
brilliant, blisteringly funny and ultimately moving, Brown Girls Do It Too is a fantastic five-star triumph in every sense.
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Pooja Singhal on reviving Rajasthan’s Pichvai art with Feast Melody and Adornment in the UK’s largest showcase
For the first time, London’s Mall Galleries will host a major exhibition dedicated entirely to Pichvai paintings, an intricate devotional textile tradition from Rajasthan. Titled Feast, Melody and Adornment (2–6 July 2025), the show brings over 350 artworks to a British audience, highlighting the evolution and global revival of this 400-year-old art form.
Curated by Pooja Singhal, founder of Udaipur-based atelier Pichvai Tradition and Beyond, the exhibition is being hailed as the most ambitious contemporary presentation of Pichvai to date. In fact, it marks a powerful shift in how Indian temple art is being experienced: not in hushed museum archives, but as a vibrant, living tradition reaching new audiences.
Pichvai, meaning “behind the idol”, originated in the 17th century in Nathdwara, a temple town near Udaipur. Artists created these large-format cloth paintings for daily darshans (ritual viewings) of Srinathji, a baby Krishna deity. These works captured moments of shringar (adornment), bhog (feasting) and raag (devotional music), and were displayed behind the idol in the sanctum.
Deccan Miniature Images - Gold Cows on red getty images
Over time, these temple painters formed a tight-knit community. “My mother collected Pichvais, and my grandfather sold them,” says Singhal, whose childhood was steeped in this visual tradition. “I literally grew up surrounded by them.”
Layers of meaning, scale and detail
Though often mistaken for simple Krishna depictions, Pichvais are complex, layered artworks. They can include over 100 miniature elements like cows, lotuses, chariots and gopis, often spanning six to eight feet in height. Some motifs, like lotus blooms, are symbolic too, evoking cooling relief during Rajasthan’s scorching summers.
Pastel Lotus getty images
“Pichvai is unique because it marries the scale of a textile with the detailing of miniature painting,” explains Singhal. “Every inch has a hundred layers. You can stand there for hours and keep discovering new stories.”
Krishna as Govindagetty image
Schools of miniature painting from Nathdwara, Bundi, Jaipur and Kishangarh influence the styles on display. Some resemble aerial maps of temple festivals; others evoke the rhythm of music or the warmth of food being served to devotees.
Reimagining tradition for a global audience
Singhal’s goal since launching Pichvai Tradition and Beyond in 2010 has been to preserve traditional methods while adapting them for modern collectors. Her key innovations include:
Grayscale reinterpretations for minimal, contemporary homes
Greyscale Pichvais
Restored sketchbook folios, recreating daily temple scenes from archival fragments
Sketches
Pastel colour palettes and geometric cow motifs to appeal to wider interiors
Modern Cow Pastel
Framing artworks individually, allowing Pichvai sketches to stand as contemporary works in their own right
Sketches
These modern adaptations haven’t diluted the tradition; they’ve helped it grow. One of the atelier’s works was even selected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a diplomatic gift to a foreign leader, an unexpected milestone that, according to Singhal, affirmed the relevance and stature of this centuries-old tradition in the modern world. “When a Swedish collector bought a grayscale Pichvai at the India Art Fair, I realised the form can travel,” she says.
Pichvai gifted to Narendra Modi
A new system for old skills
Breaking away from the age-old guru–shishya (teacher–disciple) model, Singhal’s atelier now works more like a studio collective. A team of 10–12 artists from different miniature schools collaborate on large and small format works.
“Many painters had no work,” she says. “We started smaller Pichvais and even Deccan-style gold miniatures. It gave artists a viable livelihood.”
Black and gold Gopis
Bringing Pichvai to Britain
Shipping 350 works across continents has taken six months of preparation. The Victorian-era Mall Galleries, located near Trafalgar Square, has never hosted an Indian temple art show of this magnitude.
The artworks are split across three interconnected rooms, themed around Raag, Bhog and Shringar. Alongside the art, there will be over 15 events including artist walkthroughs, collector previews, academic panels, and auctions benefiting Rajasthan’s artisans.
The Haveli of Shrinathji
“I’ve never worked at this scale before,” Singhal admits. “But if every visitor leaves feeling connected to the art, it’ll be worth it.”
What it means for British-Indian audiences
This is the first exhibition in the UK to exclusively showcase newly created Pichvais, not just preserved artefacts. For British-Asian families who’ve seen such works in temples or family homes, it’s a rare chance to see them celebrated on an international platform.
“Many have never seen this tradition at such scale or detail,” says Singhal. “And now, these living artists, whose families have painted for generations, get their moment.”
📍 Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1Y 5BD 📅 2–6 July 2025 🕙 10:00–18:00 daily (until 19:00 on 4 July) 🎟️ Admission: £12 (₹1,280), £8 (₹850), Free for Under 12s 🔗 More info: mallgalleries.org.uk
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The strike highlights long-standing concerns among Louvre staff
The Louvre Museum in Paris, the world’s most-visited art institution, was forced to shut its doors to the public for most of Monday, 17 June, as workers staged a spontaneous strike in protest over chronic overcrowding and deteriorating working conditions.
Thousands of ticket-holding visitors were left waiting in long queues beneath the museum’s iconic glass pyramid, with no clear explanation provided on-site. Many expressed frustration over the lack of communication and the disruption to their plans.
Staff protest against 'untenable' conditions
The walkout took place during a scheduled internal meeting, during which gallery attendants, security staff and ticket agents decided to withdraw their services. According to the CGT-Culture union, the protest was triggered by “unmanageable crowds”, insufficient staffing and unsafe working conditions.
Sarah Sefian of CGT-Culture said, “We can’t wait six years for help. Our teams are under pressure now. It’s not just about the art – it’s about the people protecting it.”
The strike highlights long-standing concerns among Louvre staff, including inadequate facilities for both visitors and employees. These include limited restrooms, a shortage of rest areas, and extreme temperature swings within the museum that also pose a risk to the artworks.
Louvre’s overtourism problem
Over 8.7 million people visited the Louvre in 2023 – more than double the capacity the building was designed to handle. Despite a daily visitor cap of 30,000, staff say that the volume, combined with inadequate infrastructure, turns the museum experience into a daily “physical ordeal”.
Central to the issue is the popularity of the Mona Lisa, which draws around 20,000 people a day to the Salle des États. The crowding in this room often prevents visitors from appreciating the surrounding Renaissance masterpieces. Some tourists describe the experience as overwhelming, with little chance to enjoy the art amid the noise, heat, and crowding.
Renovation plans and funding concerns
In January 2025, President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a €700–800 million “Louvre New Renaissance” plan to address the museum’s pressing issues. Under the plan, the Mona Lisa will be relocated to a purpose-built gallery with timed entry. A new entrance near the Seine River is also expected to be completed by 2031 to alleviate congestion at the existing pyramid entrance.
However, Louvre staff remain sceptical about the project’s impact. While the plan promises improved display conditions and a modernised visitor experience, unions have criticised the government for allowing annual state subsidies to fall by over 20 per cent in the past decade, despite increasing footfall.
“We take it very badly that Monsieur Le President makes his speeches here in our museum,” said Sefian. “But when you scratch the surface, the financial investment of the state is getting worse with each passing year.”
A leaked internal memo from Louvre President Laurence des Cars echoed many of these concerns. The document described failing infrastructure, including leaks and temperature fluctuations, as well as poor basic visitor services such as signage, food and restrooms.
Limited reopening possible, full closure expected Tuesday
Some striking staff indicated they might briefly reopen a limited “masterpiece route” on Monday evening to allow access to key artworks, including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. However, the museum is officially closed on Tuesdays and is expected to resume normal operations on Wednesday.
Visitors affected by the strike may be allowed to reuse Monday’s tickets on another day, subject to availability.
Financial outlook and restoration timeline
The Louvre’s full renovation is expected to be financed through a mix of ticket revenue, government contributions, private donations, and proceeds from international partnerships, including licensing from the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Ticket prices for non-EU visitors are expected to increase later in 2025.
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Unlike other major Parisian sites, such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Centre Pompidou – both of which are undergoing state-funded restorations – the Louvre remains underfunded and overstretched. Staff argue that without immediate action, both the museum’s collection and its workforce are at risk.
President Macron, who delivered his 2017 election victory speech at the Louvre and used it prominently during the 2024 Paris Olympics, has promised a revitalised museum by the end of the decade.
For now, however, the Louvre remains emblematic of the broader overtourism challenges facing cultural landmarks across Europe. With no short-term solutions in place, both staff and visitors remain caught between ambition and reality.
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Father’s Day reflects a wide range of traditions shaped by history, culture and emotion
Father’s Day is often seen as a time for cards, tools or a family lunch, but across the globe, it carries a much deeper significance. Beyond the commercial promotions, Father’s Day reflects a wide range of traditions shaped by history, culture and emotion. While some mark the occasion with grand gestures, others focus on quiet reflection, respect and the bonds that define fatherhood.
Thailand’s day of respect
In Thailand, Father’s Day is celebrated on 5 December, the birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The day is as much about honouring the nation’s former monarch as it is about celebrating fatherhood. Citizens wear yellow, the king’s birth colour, and present canna lilies to their fathers as a symbol of gratitude and respect. It’s a cultural blend of familial and national reverence.
Germany’s tradition of brotherhood
Germany takes a different approach. Known as Vatertag, or Father’s Day, it coincides with Ascension Day and is often marked by groups of men going on hiking trips, pulling wagons of food and drink. While it may appear more social than family-oriented, the tradition is rooted in camaraderie and shared responsibility among men and father figures.
Remembering fathers in Mexico
In Mexico and across parts of Latin America, Father’s Day is a time to honour both the living and the departed. Families often visit cemeteries to pay tribute to late fathers and gather to share stories and memories. It’s a day that highlights legacy over materialism, where the emotional role of a father is celebrated beyond life itself.
The expanding meaning in India
In India, Father’s Day doesn’t have deep historical roots, but its popularity is growing among urban families. Influenced by Western customs, it is increasingly used to recognise not only biological fathers, but also mentors, guardians and elders who provide support and guidance. The day is evolving into a broader celebration of male role models across generations.
A shared message worldwide
Though celebrated in different ways, Father’s Day across cultures shares a central idea: appreciation. Whether through a gift, a walk, a meal or a memory, the day is about acknowledging the role fathers and father figures play in shaping lives. In a time when traditional family structures are changing, this occasion also highlights that fatherhood is defined not just by biology, but by love, responsibility and care.
A thoughtful reminder
Rather than focus on finding the perfect present, Father’s Day offers an opportunity to be present. A simple message, a phone call or a shared moment can mean more than any physical gift. In a fast-moving world, slowing down to recognise those who’ve quietly supported us is perhaps the most meaningful tribute we can give.
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Drawings by Victor Hugo on display include Ecce Lex
The moment I walked into the Royal Academy to see Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo, I thought of Rabindranath Tagore.
Both men were giants of literature, but they were visual artists as well.
Victor-Marie Hugo (February 26, 1802- May 22, 1885) is best known for his novels The Hunchback ofNotre-Dame (1831) – many will have seen the 1939 film adaptation starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O’Hara – and Les Misérables (1862), which BBC TV adapted in 2018, with a starring role for Adeel Akhtar.
The Cheerful CastleParis Musees
Rabindranath Tagore (May 7, 1861-August 7, 1941) was a Bengali poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, for the poetry of Gitanjali.
Gallery owner Sundaram Tagore, who had flown over from New York to attend Eastern Eye’s Arts, Culture & Theatre Awards (ACTAs) at the May Fair Hotel on May 23, said: “Before leaving London, I managed to visit the Victor Hugo exhibition, which moved me deeply.”
Sundaram’s father, Subhogendranath Tagore (1912-1985), was the grandson of Hemendranath Tagore, the third son of Debendranath Tagore and the elder brother of Rabindranath Tagore.
The Victor Hugo exhibition is definitely worth seeing before it ends on June 29.
Giving a tour of the exhibition, Andrea Tarsia, director of exhibitions at the Royal Academy, said Hugo left behind some 4,000 works on paper, of which 70 were chosen for display.
“But they really are 70 of his most remarkable drawings,” commented Tarsia. Hugo often used brown ink and wash and graphite on paper.
OctopusParis Musees
Notable works include The Town of Vianden Seen Through a Spider’s Web, 1871; Mushroom, 1850; Lace and Spectres, 1855-56; The Cheerful Castle, 1847; The Town of Vianden, with Stone Cross, 1871; Mirror with Birds, 1870; Chain, 1864; Octopus, 1866–69; and The Lighthouse at Casquets, Guernsey, 1866.
There is also Ecce Lex (Latin for “Behold the Law”), 1854, done after the hanging of John Tapner in Guernsey; and The Shade of the Manchineel Tree (notes from a trip to the Pyrenees and Spain), 1856, where the shade is made to resemble a skull to denote the poisonous qualities of the fruit.
The Shade of the Manchineel TreeParis Musees
There is a photograph of Hugo seated on the Rocher des Proscrits (Exile’s Rock), Jersey, 1853, which was taken by his son, Charles Hugo.
“Hopefully, together, they will give you an intimate sense of Hugo’s remarkable, multifaceted imagination. Perhaps people are less familiar with his work as a visual artist. The exhibition is the first to be held in the UK with Hugo’s drawings in just over half a century.”
MushroomParis Musees
He explained it was “a rare chance to see these works because the inks and the paper are so fragile that once exhibited, even at these very low lighting levels, they then need to be kept in the dark for an extended period of time”.
The exhibition’s curator, Sarah Lea, said: “We made a decision to arrange these spectacular works in a thematic structure, because although Hugo drew across his lifetime, he often returns to similar motifs. And it’s really interesting to be able to see, for example, the collections of the castles, one of his great passions. Despite writing so much, he doesn’t leave us very much direct commentary on the drawings themselves. He was inspired by the way ink moves on paper. He was never intending to be an artist.”
She referred to his “mysterious” drawing of a mushroom: “Who knows what was really meant by the mushroom? It appears to us as a total enigma.”
“We have him exploring nature on the monumental level with mountains, and a minute level with spiders’ webs and birds’ nests,” she went on. “The drawings were largely private during his lifetime. Sometimes he made works that he would send to friends. But the drawings themselves weren’t exhibited until three years after his death. They’re first shown in a public exhibition in Paris in 1888.”
A photograph of Hugo taken by his son, CharlesParis Musees
Hugo lived in exile from 1856 to 1870 on the island of Guernsey, where he bought a house. “He redecorated it from bottom to top in a most extraordinary manner of eclectic collecting and reassembling different pieces of furniture and decorative arts. And it was from the lookout, which was a vast conservatory that he constructed at the top of this house, that he would be able, on a clear day, to see the coastline of France. And it was there that he completed some of his most important literary works. A profound source of inspiration for Hugo was the ocean.”
He strongly opposed the death penalty. After the execution by hanging of convicted murderer John Tapner in Guernsey in 1854, Hugo made many drawings of a hanged man, including Ecce Lex.
He also appealed – unsuccessfully – to the US to pardon John Brown, an abolitionist who had been sentenced to death in Virginia on charges of treason, murder and conspiracy to incite a slave insurrection. Hugo appeared to be an early supporter of Black Lives Matter.
Hugo’s brother-in-law, Paul Chenay, made print reproductions of his earlier Ecce drawings, which were published with a new title, John Brown, and circulated in protest at Brown’s execution.
In a letter to Chenay in 1861, Hugo said: “John Brown is a hero and a martyr. His death was a crime. His gallows is a cross. Let us therefore once again draw the attention of all to the lessons of the gallows of Charlestown. My drawing, which through your fine talent has been reproduced with striking fidelity, has no other value than this name: John Brown – a name that must be repeated unceasingly, to the supporters of the American republic, so that it reminds them of their duty to the slaves: to call them forth to freedom. I shake your hand.”
When Hugo died in 1885, aged 83, over two million people lined the streets of Paris to see his funeral procession. But many of Hugo’s admirers wouldn’t have been aware of his private love of drawing.
Incidentally, the Royal Academy last week announced that Simon Wallis, currently the director of The Hepworth Wakefield, will take over in September as its new secretary and chief executive. In his earlier career, he held curatorial positions at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, and Tate Liverpool. He was the director of Chisenhale Gallery, London.
Wallis, who succeeds Axel Rüger, said: “The Royal Academy of Arts is at a pivotal moment of development and positive change. The RA is the central London home for artists, art and art lovers, generating powerful experiences and innovative teaching about art in a rapidly changing society. As the UK’s oldest and foremost artist-led organisation, the extraordinary talent and vision of the Royal Academicians and their team lead the creative conversation on a national and international stage.”
Now that Hugo has been featured at the Royal Academy, maybe Tagore, too, will merit an exhibition one day under Wallis’s leadership.
The Royal Academy won the ACTA for community engagement last year. It was collected by Tarsia.
In Astonishing Things: The Drawings of Victor Hugo, at the Jillian and Arthur M Sackler Wing of Galleries at the Royal Academy, ends on June 29.