‘Ruins hide things. Not just the memory of what they were, but the memories they still contain’ - Robert Fisk on Gerry Judah, The Independent.

Visually forceful and sensitively crafted, Gerry Judah’s works engage with pressing geopolitical issues of conflict and climate change, whilst remaining deeply personal. During his illustrious career, Judah has exhibited internationally in spaces ranging from the Saatchi Gallery to the British High Commission in Delhi. His striking Great War memorial installation is currently on display in the nave at St Paul’s Cathedral, London.

Acclaimed International Artist Gerry Judah, born in Calcutta and currently living and practising in London, has offered to set up an installation at his birthplace, which will be his first installation in India. At the age of 10 his family moved to London but Kolkata keeps coming up in his artistic journey.

Gerry Judah's maternal and paternal grandparents came from Baghdad to settle in the already established Baghdadi Jewish community in India and Burma. His mother was born in Calcutta and his father in Rangoon. Gerry Judah was born in 1951 in Calcutta and grew up in West Bengal before his family moved to London when he was ten years old.

The dramatic landscapes of India as well as post-war London impacted him as a young boy and fired his imagination on landscapes, architectural fantasies and futuristic cars, leading him to want to become an artist.

Once an architectural draughtsman for Douglas Scott, the designer of the world-famous Routemaster bus of London, Gerry is an alumnus of Barnet College of Art (1970–1972), Goldsmiths College, University of London (1972–1975) and the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London (1975–1977).

He has worked on large sculptures and also as a scenic artist at the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Royal Festival Ballet, London Contemporary Dance, Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet, Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.

Eclectic in his formats, he has created settings for the BBC, British Museum, Museum of Mankind, Natural History Museum, Imperial War Museum, Museum of Tolerance, and even rock-n-roll icons like Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, The Who and many other performers. He has also created sculptures for Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Ford, Rolls-Royce, Honda, Toyota, Land Rover, Alfa Romeo and Lotus at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed and bridges in London and Cambridge.

Amongst a number of commissions from public museums and institutions, Judah was asked by the Imperial War Museum in London to create a large model of the selection ramp in Auschwitz-Birkenau for the Holocaust Exhibition opened by Queen Elizabeth II. This opened a new vista for him. He began to make art born of his reflections on historical and contemporary events creating a body of large three-dimensional paintings exploring the devastations of war and the ravages man has made upon the environment caused by recent conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. His solo exhibitions have spanned London, Delhi, Wolverhampton, New York, Manchester, etc and two sculptures in St Paul's Cathedral - London commemorating 100 years since the beginning of the First World War.

Gerry was in Kolkata between 13th and 17th February 2017, exploring in partnership with The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry the possibilities of setting up a monumental sculpture thus making a global statement of Kolkata's diversity and embracing of different cultures which make it the unique City it is.

Visit to Agarpara Jute Mill

Gerry Judah and his wife Helen Judah arrived in Kolkata on 13th February, 2017. On the next morning his wife and he was accompanied by one of the senior members of the Chamber Secretariat, Mr. Tapan Chakrabarti to Agarpara Jute Mill where he spent his childhood days as his father was an employee of the Mill. Gerry was enthralled while revisiting his childhood days in Agarpara; he even found out the small room where he used to sleep with his parents.

Gerry Judah delivers the keynote speech of the second edition of the “Calcutta Talks”

The 14th (February, 2017) evening was the Bengal Chamber’s evening with Gerry. The Judah couple was fascinated by the history and heritage of the Bengal Chamber building. A walkthrough along the “Calcutta Gallery” dedicated to our Eternal City, which is a pictorial journey down the hallowed pathways of the industrial and business history of Calcutta mesmerized them.

Mr. Sutanu Ghosh welcomed Mr. Gerry Judah and Helen Judah along with other distinguished guests to the second edition of the “Calcutta Talks”. In his keynote speech, Mr. Judah said, “I look forward to creating a unique and impressive installation, for which the Bengal Chamber will be coordinating with the State Government. It will provide a global statement to the city’s diversity and inclusive plural culture”. The audience, which constituted eminent architects, scholars, conservationist and researchers, was spellbound watching his spectacular presentation on the plethora of work that he has undertaken and the concepts, thoughts and inspirations behind them.

The First Lady of The Bengal Chamber, Mrs. Shakuntala Ghosh and the Chamber President, Mr. Sutanu Ghosh hosted a Cocktails and Dinner in honour of Helen and Gerry Judah at the City’s one of the most prestigious venues, The Bengal Club.

Subsequently, on 16th February 2017, a senior Chamber team led by the President, accompanied Mr. Gerry Judah to an important discussion followed by visits to possible locations for his proposed installation. The Bengal Chamber is coordinating the follow-up work.

Helen and Gerry Judah left for UK on 17th (Februray 2017) looking forward to many more such visits in the coming months.