Sheffield Museums acquire work by Sunil Gupta

Sunil Gupta, Lodhi Gardens (1987) and Untitled #3 from the series The New Pre-Raphaelites, (2008), recently acquired by Sheffield Museums, is on view in Lives in Focus: Photography in Sheffield’s Collection at Graves Gallery through 27 February 2027.
 
Drawn from Sheffield's collection, the exhibition celebrates photography’s unique power to reveal connections spanning generations, geographies and shared histories. 
 
Lodhi Gardens (1987), from the series Exiles (1986–87), was commissioned by The Photographers' Gallery. Returning to India, Gupta photographed gay men in front of a backdrop of famous tourist sites, the finished prints were then presented alongside quotes from the subjects. Taken at a time when homosexuality was illegal in India, it was imperative for the artist to prove the existence of this community to himself and to the world.
 
The New Pre-Raphaelites is a project centred on LGBTQ+ rights in India, made in response to Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a 19th-century law criminalising homosexuality. Drawing on the classical iconography and sensuality of Pre-Raphaelite painting, Sunil Gupta reinterprets these works to visualise a modern Indian queer identity.
 
The new acquisitions were purchased with support from the JG Graves Charitable Trust, Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and Art Fund.
 
August 12, 2026