Krishen Khanna

1925

Born in Lyallpur (now known as Faisalabad), in pre-partition Punjab

1930

Father Kahan Chand Khanna leaves for England to pursue a doctorate in British Indian history.

1932

Upon his father’s return from doctoral studies in Europe, he brings with him a copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, which Khanna keenly studied. He also spends his summer holidays at the vicarage of the Franciscan Brother, Joseph Gardener, who reinforces his readings of the Bible. This inspires Khanna’s first painting of St. Francis, which became a recurring subject in his painting from the 1960s on.

1936

The Khanna family moves to Multan.

1938-42

Receives Rudyard Kipling Scholarship to study at Imperial Services College in Windsor, England. The Second World War interrupts the artist’s education. Returns to Multan and witnesses the untimely death of his cabinmate at sea. This memory is reflected in the artist’s later works where he dwells on drowning.

1944

Family moves to Lahore. Joins Government College to complete his Bachelor of Arts. Starts attending evening classes at Mayo School of Art.

1946

Starts working at Grindlays Bank in Lahore. Joins Sheikh Ahmed’s Studio One to study drawing. Exhibits at the annual exhibition of Punjab Art Society where his painting, Dead Tree, is commended.

1947

Moves with family to Simla as a result of Partition. The socio-political chaos will be reflected in his work.

1948

Moves to Bombay with Grindlays Bank. Develops close proximity with members of the Progressive Artists’ Group and begins to paint every evening.

1949

His iconic painting, News of Gandhiji’s Death is included in Bombay Art Society’s Golden Jubilee Exhibition. It wins praise from Rudy von Leyden, art critic at The Times of India. The artist is formally inducted into the Progressive Artists’ Group by M. F. Husain.

1950

Marries his childhood friend, Renu Chatterji.

1953-58

Is posted in Madras where the couple patronises musicians and dancers. Khanna’s art reflects his love of music.

1955

Has his first solo show at U.S.I.S., Madras, and has since exhibited widely in India and abroad.

1956

American collector Tom Keehn organises an exhibition of eight painters, including Khanna, at the Indian and Eastern Newspaper Society, New Delhi. Sir Kenneth Clark encourages Khanna to show at Leicester Galleries, London.

1957

Solo exhibition at All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi; also participates in Tokyo Biennale, Japan.

1959

Has exhibitions at Leicester Galleries, London; Graham Gallery, New York; and is part of the Sao Paulo Biennale, Brazil.

1961

Resigns from Grindlays Bank, after fourteen years to paint full-time. Moves to New Delhi where he accepts a monthly contract of Rs 500 to paint for Kumar Art Gallery. Exhibits at Tokyo Biennale.

1962-63

Is the first recipient of the John D. Rockefeller III Fund fellowship (known at the time as Council on Economic and Cultural Affairs), and travels to New York with wife Renu via Dacca, Rangoon, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan, adapting the ancient Asian art of Sumi-e in his work.

1964

Is an artist-in-residence at American University, Washington D.C. Lives in Chelsea Hotel during this time; converts one of the bathrooms in his hotel room into his studio. Has a solo show at Watkins Art Gallery, American University, Washington D.C.

1965

Exhibits at Egan Gallery, New York, where one of his Sumi-e paintings is acquired by the Museum of Modern Art. His Window into Winter wins the national award at Lalit Kala Akademi’s annual exhibition.

1966

Exhibits at Lincoln Center, New York.

1968

He is commissioner of the International Triennale, New Delhi, for compiling its Indian section along with Prodosh Das Gupta. His exhibition entry at the Triennale wins an award which he refuses to accept because of the controversy triggered by it.

1969

Is part of exhibition ‘Contemporary Art, Dialogue between East and West’, organised by the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, Japan. Has a solo exhibition of photographs at Kunika Chemould Gallery, New Delhi, and Pundole Art Gallery, Bombay.

1970s

Paints his celebrated series of works on Christ and the Apostles, Pieta, Bandwallahs, and the roadside Dhaba.

1971

Begins to paint his The Game series based on political and military violence and atrocities committed while leading up to the Bangladesh war.

1972

Exhibits in ‘One World through Art’ organised by Ben and Abbey Grey Foundation, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A.

1974

Meets Henri Cartier-Bresson and helps him with his series of photographs on Delhi.

1975

Exhibits in the third International Triennale, New Delhi. Completes a mural in graphite for ITC’s Chola Sheraton in Madras, allegedly the largest work in graphite ever created. The mural has since been relocated to the group’s headquarters in Gurugram.

1979

Is part of the ‘Modern Asian Art’ exhibition organised by Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan.

1980-84

Paints his famous mural, The Great Procession, on the ceiling of ITC Maurya, New Delhi.

1982

Is part of ‘Modern Indian Painters’ at Hirschhorn Museum, Washington D.C., and ‘Myth and Reality’ at Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, U.K.

1986

Receives the President’s Award at Baghdad International Festival of Art in Iraq.

1987

Exhibits in the Coups de Coeur at Geneva, Switzerland.

1989

Wins gold medal at first International Biennale in Lahore, Pakistan. Receives the Sahitya Kala Parishad Award, New Delhi.

1990

Receives Padma Shri from the Government of India.

1991

Exhibits in the Fifth Biennale, Havana, Cuba.

1994

Exhibits as a special invitee at the second Indian Drawing Biennale.

1996

Is part of the inaugural exhibition of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, titled ‘The Moderns’.

1997

Receives Kala Ratna from All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi

1999

Solo show ‘Mahabharat’ at Gallery 7, Mumbai.

2001

Gayatri Sinha’s Krishen Khanna: A Critical Biography is published.

2002

The artist releases his memoir, The Time of My Life: Memories, Anecdotes, Tall Talk.

2004

Received Lalit Kala Ratna from the President of India.

2005

Saffronart and Berkley Square Gallery organise an exhibition of the artist’s work in London. The Embrace of Love by Gayatri Sinha is published by Mapin.

2007

Solo exhibition at Royal Academy of Arts, London, inaugurated by writer Vikram Seth. Krishen Khanna, Images in my Time and The Great Procession: A Mural by Krishen Khanna are published as part of the Contemporary Indian Artists Series by Mapin.

2008

The artist’s solo, ‘The Savage Heart’, at Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai.

2010

‘Krishen Khanna: A Retrospective’ is organised by Saffronart at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.

2011

Receives Padma Bhushan from the Government of India.

2013

Raza Foundation publishes My Dear: Letters Between Sayed Haider Raza & Krishen Khanna, an intimate glimpse into their camaraderie as well as the art scene in the second half of the twentieth century.

2015

A film is made on Krishen Khanna’s practice called A Far Afternoon, based on a painting with the same title. Produced by the Piramal Art Foundation, the film is screened in London, Mumbai, and New Delhi. The artist’s solo ‘When the Band Begins to Play...’ opens at Grosvenor Gallery, London. His works are part of ‘After Midnight: Indian Modernism to Contemporary India 1947/1997’ organised by Queens Museum of Art, New York, U.S.A.

2017

Newspaper Readers is exhibited at DAG’s booth at India Art Fair, New Delhi

2018

Is part of ‘The Progressive Revolution: Modern Art for a New India’ organised by Asia Society and Museum, New York.

2020

His Untitled (Road to Calvary) fetches a record of Rs. 2.4 crore at a Pundole’s auction in Mumbai.

2021

‘Krishen Khanna: Paintings from the Front Room’ opens at Grosvenor Gallery, London.