Portrait of Falak

Object Details

• Artist

  Ketaki Sheth (India, born 1957)

• Edition/State

  1/12

• Provenance

  1990-2008

  Ketaki Sheth (b. 1957), Delhi, India [1]

  2008-2019

  Drs. Umesh and Sunanda Gaur, purchased from Ketaki Sheth through Sepia International Inc. (active 1998-2009) in New York, NY [2]

  From 2019

  National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Drs. Umesh and Sunanda Gaur [3]

  Notes:

  [1] The photograph was executed in 1990 and it is the 1st of 12 editions.

  [2] See the object list, undated (ca. January 28, 2019), copy in object file. The object list indicates that Drs. Umesh and Sunanda Gaur acquired this object from “Sepia Gallery, NY” on July 1, 2008.

  Sepia International Inc. (active 1998-2009) in New York, NY was a commercial gallery specializing in the sale of photography. The gallery was established by Ebrahim Alkazi (1925-2020) and Esa Epstein served as the Executive Director and Curator. Epstein later established another commercial gallery sepia EYE in New York, NY in 2009.

  See also “Temporary Custody Receipt,” number RLS2019.2, undated, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Drs. Umesh and Sunanda Gaur to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery for acquisition consideration on March 14, 2019.

  [3] See Arthur M. Sackler, “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved on May 14, 2019, copy in object file. See also the signed “Deed of Gift,” copy in object file. From 2019-2023 this work was part of the National Museum of Asian Art’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection and on March 21, 2023, the work was internally transferred to the National Museum of Asian Art Collection.

  Research updated July 29, 2024

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Unstill Waters (December 10, 2022 to June 11, 2023)

  Looking In, Looking Out: Contemporary Indian Photography from the Gaur Collection (February 13, 2016 to May 6, 2017)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Ketaki Sheth (India, born 1957)

  Sepia International Inc. (active 1998-2009)

  Umesh Gaur

  Sunanda Gaur

• Origin

  India

• Credit Line

  Gift of Drs. Umesh and Sunanda Gaur

• Type

  Photograph

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1990s

• Name

  Sepia International Inc., Gaur, Sunanda, Gaur, Umesh, Sheth, Ketaki

• Place

  India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Contemporary Art, Art, Portraits

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Photographs