Through the innumerable changes of oeuvres between those first collages and the present "confessionals"; through the various avatars as collagist, neo-miniaturist in the '60s, diarist of the demeaned in the '70s, painter of the narrative in the '80s, gay icon of the '90s; through all the aspersion, appreciation, rejection, acceptance, pannings, panegyrics, Khakhar, 61, has remained unapologetic. And gearing up for yet another exhibition of his work, much of it characteristically, explicitly homosexual in content, at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, beginning December 10, he remains undaunted. Favourable assessment whether by peers or posterity is not a concern: "Let me put it this way. I'm a second, no, third-class painter. Not known or respected but still passionate about my work." This from a man whose work has been called "monumental and visionary", who art critic Geeta Kapur says has brought back to painting "the lost reality of the world", whose artistic approach has provoked comparisons with Lorenzetti, Breughel, Bonnard, Henri Rousseau and David Hockney. And whose portrait of Salman Rushdie was bought early this year by the National Portrait Gallery, Britain, for 10,000 pounds. As for his prices: he has been selling consistently in six digits for the last decade. Yesterday's Pop painter is acknowledged today as a "painterly painter", one of the top ten in the Pantheon of Painters in India.