The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History   The Metropolitan Museum of Art
World MapsTimelines / RegionsThematic EssaysWorks of ArtIndex  
Chess Players, Banaras Floods, 1967, printed 1991
Raghubir Singh (Indian, 1942–1999)
Chromogenic print; 10 x 14 7/8 in. (25.4 x 37.8 cm)
Purchase, Cynthia Hazen Polsky Gift, 1991 (1991.1282)
© Raghubir Singh

Born into an aristocratic family in Jaipur, India, Singh lived and worked in Paris, London, and New York, but his lifelong subject as a photographer was the vibrant culture and landscape of modern India. With its emphasis on visual surprise and spontaneity, Singh's work belongs to the tradition of small-format street photography pioneered by such artists as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank. Unlike many of his European counterparts, however, Singh worked exclusively in color, often composing his images with a graphic complexity akin to that of Mughal miniatures.


Open full-size image



  • Related Timeline(s)


    Chess Players, Banaras Floods, 1967, printed 1991
    Raghubir Singh (Indian, 1942–1999)
    Chromogenic print; 10 x 14 7/8 in. (25.4 x 37.8 cm)
    Purchase, Cynthia Hazen Polsky Gift, 1991 (1991.1282)
    © Raghubir Singh