Forces of Nature: Annie Leibovitz and Hiroshi Senju

The double solo-exhibition at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery presents works of two master artists: the American photographer Annie Leibovitz and the Japanese painter Hiroshi Senju.
On the first floor are on show portraits by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, while canvases by celebrated contemporary painter Hiroshi Senju are showcased on the ground floor.
Both bodies of work revolve around the notion of power—Leibovitz explores it in the context of the human sphere with images of iconic public figures and Senju addresses it in the natural world with sublime waterfall images.

Annie Leibovitz  (b. 1949, Westbury, Connecticut) is American photographer renowned for her dramatic, quirky, and iconic portraits of a great variety of celebrities. Her signature style is crisp and well lighted.
Leibovitz enrolled in the San Francisco Art Institute, intending to become a painter, but after taking a night class in photography, she quickly became engrossed in that medium.
In 1991 Leibovitz had her first museum exhibition; she became the first woman and second living photographer to show at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
In 2000 Leibovitz was among the first group of Americans to be designated a Library of Congress Living Legend.
Among the later publications of her work were American Music (2003); A Photographer’s Life: 1990–2005 (2006), which contained many images documenting Leibovitz’s personal life; Annie Leibovitz at Work (2008); and Pilgrimage (2011).
She received many awards such as the prestigious American Society of Magazine Photographers award.

Hiroshi Senju (b. 1958, Japan) combines a minimalist visual language rooted in Abstract Expressionism with ancient painting techniques unique to Japan. The New York-based artist is noted worldwide for his sublime waterfall and cliff images, often monumental in scale, many of which are featured in prominent public spaces.
Hiroshi Senju was the first Asian artist to receive an Honorable Mention Award at the Venice Biennale (1995) and has participated in exhibitions around the world, including the Beauty Project at the London Museum of Contemporary Art in 1996; The New Way of Tea, curated by Alexandra Munroe, at the Japan Society in New York in 2002; and Paintings on Fusuma, at the Tokyo National Museum in 2003. Senju’s work is in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles; The Museum of Modern Art, Toyama, Japan; Yamatane Museum of Art in Tokyo; The Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music; and the Kushiro Art Museum, Hokkaido, Japan. The Hiroshi Senju Museum, designed by Ryue Nishizawa, opened in October 2011 in Karuizawa, Japan.