This monograph presents a perspective on the art of Bhupen Khakhar (b.1934), one of the most significant Indian artists of this century.Born into a lower-middle-class Gujarati family in central Bombay,Khakhar came to Art only in his thirties. Trained as a charteredaccountant, his early work dealt with popular iconic imagery and with the conditio,n of "the insignificant man", trapped in an unremarkable existence.

         PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION "HE WILL SHOW YOU THE WORLD!"

             I THE LIFE AS PRELUDE TO THE WORK

CHAPTER ONE  A QUALIFIED ACCOUNTANT (1934-61)

CHAPTERTWO  TRAINING IN BARODA (1962-64)

CHAPTER THREE  THE BARODA CONVERGENCE (1964-72)

         COLOUR PLATES 1-18

             II THE WORK

CHAPTER FOUR  THE INSIGNIFICANT MAN (1972-76)

CHAPTER FiVE "VULNERABILITY";"DIFFIDENCE";"NARRATIVE" (1975-79)

CHAPTER SIX  PANORAMA AND PLENITUDE (1979-82)

CHAPTER SEVEN  SEXUALITY AND THE SELF (1981-95)

CONCLUSION "TO BRING BACK THE LOST REALITY OF THE WORLD"

         COLOUR PLATES 19-41

         NOTES TO THE TEXT

         LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

         LIST OF COLOUR PLATES

         BIBLIOGRAPHY

         A BIOGRAPHY

         INDEX