Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West

“Raqib Shaw: Ballads of East and West” is an invitation to see the world as Raqib Shaw sees it. The London-based artist, known for his opulent and fantastical works, blends Eastern and Western influences to create mesmerizing paintings that merge fable, history, and autobiography.

On view in the Huntington Art Gallery among the masterpieces in its historical art collection, seven works by Shaw bring the viewer into a lush fantasy world of landscapes and imagined interior spaces deeply influenced by and often directly responding to world-renowned Old Master artworks. Steeped in South Asian aesthetics, his work pays homage to the grand gestures and epic storytelling seen throughout Renaissance, baroque, and rococo Europe. Shaw’s intricately detailed paintings incorporate ornamental elements from Japanese prints and kimonos, Persian miniatures, and Indian textiles. He frequently incorporates self-portraiture, landscapes in peril, historic painting references, or moments from his own life into his work. His painting surface is luscious, glossy, and rendered in infinite colors and shades with a precise technique of enamel paint applied with porcupine quills to birch wood panels.