Shaping a Contemporary Art Scene: The Development of Artistic Circulation, Networks, and Cultural Policies between India and the U.S. since the 1950's

The purpose of my research project at the Rockefeller Archive Center (RAC) was to provide an original analysis of the Indo-American artistic relationships during the second half of the 20th century, their nature, evolution and impact on the shaping of the contemporary Indian art scene. This research is part of my Ph.D. entitled "Geography of Contemporary Indian Art: Cities, Actors and Circulations," where I study the construction and organization of contemporary Indian art territories at different scales (art district, city, region, and country) and their insertion into the global art system. Particularly interested in the post-Independence context (after 1947), the social networks which contributed to the renewal of art spaces and practices in India and in the rise of a powerful art market, the dissertation aims to question more precisely the role of foreign funds and scholarships on the emergence of a contemporary Indian art scene. In other terms, to what extent did American patronage and cultural policies contribute to a new geography of contemporary art in India?