Sara Abraham, doyenne of contemporary Indian art, passes away

Sara Abraham obituary: Doyenne of Contemporary Indian Art 

Sara Abraham, the doyenne of contemporary Indian Art in the early Seventies, passed away peacefully, in the early hours of the August 4, 2024 at Chennai.

Mariam Ram was with her during her last hours, accompanied by her husband N. Ram.

Born into the distinguished family of Chalakuzhy Paulose Matthen and his wife, Eliamma Matthen in Travancore, Kerala, as it was then known, Sara was one of eight children.

Her father, K.P. Matthen was Managing Director of the Quilon Bank which eventually became one of the largest private banks in India, The Travancore National and Quilon Bank.

Sara’s father eventually moved to Madras, the financial hub of South India which was then the British capital of the Madras Presidency.

Sara, who was then eight years old, remembers the time the family lived in a large Madras Garden house, as these were known, on the tree-lined suburb of Chetpet bordering the Cooum River.

In time, Sara and her four sisters were sent to an Anglican boarding school in Darjeeling. This is where Sara discovered art under the guidance of an inspired art teacher. That early initiation, created in Sara the singular eye and instinctive ability to recognize original talent, during her later years as a collector and promoter of Indian art in its post-Independence evolution.