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Age: 71
Hometown: Akhnoor, India
Current residence: Pittsford
Occupation: Radiology professor; founder of Dogra Art Foundation
As a young doctor practicing in Delhi, India, Vikram Dogra kept a small box outside his office. Patients would drop in cash after a check-up. “When you walk out, you could put in whatever you want,” Dogra said. “Two rupees was my fee.”
One day, someone couldn’t pay, so they instead offered a postcard-sized painting in the Nathdwara art tradition. This piece, as many in that style do, depicted Shrinathji, a form of the Hindu deity Krishna. Dogra was taken with the work.
Decades later, Dogra — now a renowned radiologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center — owns enough Shrinathji paintings to launch his own gallery.
The nonprofit Dogra Art Foundation, based out of his home in Pittsford, aims to “promote and support South Asian Art in North America,” according to its vision. Central to that are the hundreds of paintings, sculptures and photographs Dogra and his wife, Nalini, have amassed as cultural items and learning tools.
“Diversity, simply as a word, means nothing,” he said. “You won't talk to me unless you understand my culture.”
The work is cataloged in spreadsheets on his MacBook and nearly all have been custom matted and framed by Dogra’s preferred artisan in India.
Notable in the collection are devotional cloth paintings called pichwai, marked by brilliant colors and intricate details. Dogra purchased a resplendent 150-year-old piece that once decorated the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara from an antique dealer; it now hangs near the banister overlooking his staircase.Dogra manages the foundation in his spare time, which is precious, between his clinical work and duties at the university. As a doctor, he moved around quite a bit before landing in Rochester in 2005. He’s eager to stay another 20 years or longer; the foundation ensures a legacy.
“That's why Rochester is important,” he said. “The longest period where I’ve served has been in Rochester.”
Keen to broaden the area’s international art connections, the Dogras recently brought Indian street artist Avinash Kumar here to paint a geometric mural called “Illusionary Odyssey” on the wall of the Memorial Art Gallery. They paid for his visa sponsorship, gave him a place to stay and even packed a lunch for him every day.
Sarah Jesse, the MAG’s director, said the Dogras’ generosity and hospitality ensures Kumar’s painting — and Indian street art in general — reaches people who may otherwise never be exposed to it.
“Having an artist from another country in residence here in Rochester for an extended period of time is quite cost prohibitive for us,” Jesse said. “They've helped enable a project and an experience for our audiences that we wouldn't otherwise be able to provide.”
To that end, Dogra hopes to continue his partnership with the museum and has helped bring in guest lecturers like Madhuvanti Ghose from the Art Institute of Chicago. He’s also working to get an Indian sculptor’s work installed near Mendon Ponds Park.
Dogra is an evangelist for the art he’s collected and the perspective it can bring. He keeps his gallery open, in his words, “24/7,” but as it’s his home, a quick call in advance is appreciated.
In the entryway, guests will notice a ceremonial lamp decorated with flower petals that Dogra lights every morning while saying a prayer. The metaphor is perhaps incidental, but potent nonetheless.
“Lighting the lamp in Indian culture is very important,” Dogra said, “because light dispels darkness.” —PATRICK HOSKEN
Contact the Dogra Art Foundation at 1-888-598-9935, or [email protected].
Hometown: Akhnoor, India
Current residence: Pittsford
Occupation: Radiology professor; founder of Dogra Art Foundation
As a young doctor practicing in Delhi, India, Vikram Dogra kept a small box outside his office. Patients would drop in cash after a check-up. “When you walk out, you could put in whatever you want,” Dogra said. “Two rupees was my fee.”
One day, someone couldn’t pay, so they instead offered a postcard-sized painting in the Nathdwara art tradition. This piece, as many in that style do, depicted Shrinathji, a form of the Hindu deity Krishna. Dogra was taken with the work.
Decades later, Dogra — now a renowned radiologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center — owns enough Shrinathji paintings to launch his own gallery.
The nonprofit Dogra Art Foundation, based out of his home in Pittsford, aims to “promote and support South Asian Art in North America,” according to its vision. Central to that are the hundreds of paintings, sculptures and photographs Dogra and his wife, Nalini, have amassed as cultural items and learning tools.
“Diversity, simply as a word, means nothing,” he said. “You won't talk to me unless you understand my culture.”
The work is cataloged in spreadsheets on his MacBook and nearly all have been custom matted and framed by Dogra’s preferred artisan in India.
Notable in the collection are devotional cloth paintings called pichwai, marked by brilliant colors and intricate details. Dogra purchased a resplendent 150-year-old piece that once decorated the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara from an antique dealer; it now hangs near the banister overlooking his staircase.Dogra manages the foundation in his spare time, which is precious, between his clinical work and duties at the university. As a doctor, he moved around quite a bit before landing in Rochester in 2005. He’s eager to stay another 20 years or longer; the foundation ensures a legacy.
“That's why Rochester is important,” he said. “The longest period where I’ve served has been in Rochester.”
Keen to broaden the area’s international art connections, the Dogras recently brought Indian street artist Avinash Kumar here to paint a geometric mural called “Illusionary Odyssey” on the wall of the Memorial Art Gallery. They paid for his visa sponsorship, gave him a place to stay and even packed a lunch for him every day.
Sarah Jesse, the MAG’s director, said the Dogras’ generosity and hospitality ensures Kumar’s painting — and Indian street art in general — reaches people who may otherwise never be exposed to it.
“Having an artist from another country in residence here in Rochester for an extended period of time is quite cost prohibitive for us,” Jesse said. “They've helped enable a project and an experience for our audiences that we wouldn't otherwise be able to provide.”
To that end, Dogra hopes to continue his partnership with the museum and has helped bring in guest lecturers like Madhuvanti Ghose from the Art Institute of Chicago. He’s also working to get an Indian sculptor’s work installed near Mendon Ponds Park.
Dogra is an evangelist for the art he’s collected and the perspective it can bring. He keeps his gallery open, in his words, “24/7,” but as it’s his home, a quick call in advance is appreciated.
In the entryway, guests will notice a ceremonial lamp decorated with flower petals that Dogra lights every morning while saying a prayer. The metaphor is perhaps incidental, but potent nonetheless.
“Lighting the lamp in Indian culture is very important,” Dogra said, “because light dispels darkness.” —PATRICK HOSKEN
Contact the Dogra Art Foundation at 1-888-598-9935, or [email protected].
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