Before its name was changed to Chennai, the coastal city of Madras was home to a movement that seismically shifted art in Southern India. “Madras Modern,” the first major retrospective of its kind, offers a history of both the Indian city and the Madras Art Movement, started by students in the early 1960s who combined—and explored the interplay between—their regional traditions and modernity. Featuring works by J. Sultan Ali, Paneer Selvam, Reddappa Naidu, and many other artists central to the movement. —J.V.