Born in 1922, pioneering modernist sculptor Ardeshir M. Davierwalla—fondly called Adi—was a pharmaceutical chemist by training; he went to school in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, and studied pharmaceutical engineering at the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (now known as the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute) in Bombay. Learn More
Raja Ravi Varma’s singular impact on Indian art is unparalleled by any artist. Largely self-taught, he is probably the first Indian artist to have articulated Indian subject matters through naturalism and the use of oil paints with brilliant mastery, considered until then a European idiom. Learn More
Modernist sculptor Amar Nath Sehgal was one of the earliest Indian artists to take legal action under the Indian Copyright Act defending his moral right over his work. In 1957, Sehgal created a mural for Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on a government commission, which was pulled down without his permission or any intimation in 1979. Sehgal went to court and won the lawsuit. Learn More
Born in a well-to-do business family in Peshawar in present-day Pakistan, B. N. Arya showed an inclination towards the arts since childhood. Learn More
Born in Simla on 28 August 1931, Avinash Chandra studied painting at Delhi Polytechnic, where he also taught for a few years. His students included Paramjit Singh and Arpita Singh, who would go on to make a name for themselves in later years. Learn More
Born in New Delhi in 1954, Arpana Caur completed her post-graduation in literature from Delhi University before choosing art as her vocation. She started studying painting at Central Saint Martins art college in London but could not complete the course. Learn More
Born in Calcutta on 30 June 1959, Ananda Moy Banerji completed his B.F.A. in painting from the College of Art, New Delhi, in 1980, where he also studied printmaking under acclaimed printmaker Anupam Sud. Learn More
Born in Delhi in 1947, Amitava Das graduated from College of Art, New Delhi, in 1972. At the time, he was part of New Group and Artists’ Forum, and in the same decade won Lalit Kala Akademi’s national award. In 1989, he won a fellowship to study exhibition and graphic design in Germany. Learn More
It was a radical shift for the commerce and art graduate Amit Ambalal, born in a Gujarati business family, to give up the family’s textile business in order to pursue painting. Learn More
Ambadas was born in 1922 in Akola, a town in Maharashtra. After matriculation, he received training at a private art school in Ahmedabad, run by the artist Ravi Shankar Raval. Learn More
Born in Baroda, Altaf Mohamedi’s interest in painting began while at the Scindia School in Gwalior under the tutelage of his art instructor Niyogi. His nascent interest was also encouraged by his elder sister and noted painter Nasreen Mohamedi. Learn More