Dhruva Mistry

A seminal and well-known contemporary Indian sculptor, Dhruva Mistry’s art, in his own words, is a ‘dialogue of an artist as a maker pursuing enigma of an omnipresent consciousness’.

Mistry is known to work across scale and mediums—from large public works to more intimate sized pieces in clay, plaster, stone, steel, and fibreglass, among other mediums. Besides, he also explores drawing, painting, etching, drypoint, digital works and photography.

Born in Kanjari in Gujarat in 1957, Mistry obtained an M. A. in sculpture from M. S. University, Baroda, in 1981. Soon thereafter, he went to the Royal College of Art, London, on a British Council scholarship in 1983 to study sculpture. A truly global artist, his works speak to people of all geographies as he explores cultural tensions, drawing inspiration from a wide range of civilisations and cultures.

Mistry has held several shows at important venues around the world. He was an artist-in-residence at the Churchill College, Cambridge, in 1984-85; sculptor-in-residence at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 1988; represented Britain at the Third Rodin Grand Prize Exhibition, Japan, in 1990; was elected a Royal Academician in 1991 and a fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1993; and received an honorary C.B.E. in 2001.

In 1992, the Birmingham City Council commissioned him to design sculptures for the city’s Victoria Square. Mistry returned to India in 1997 as head of the sculpture department and dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, M. S. University, Baroda. He lives and works in Baroda.