Ram Kumar

1924

Born in Simla on September 23 in a large middle class family comprising eight brothers and sisters; father Nand Kumar Verma is a civil servant with the colonial British government. Late 1920s-Early 1930s Grows up in a literary atmosphere where the siblings read Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekov and Virginia Woolf as well as Hindi literature. Attends Harcourt Butler School in Simla and Delhi.

1945

Pursues master’s in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi; while visiting Connaught Place with friends one evening, comes across an art exhibition; highly influenced, enrolls himself at Sarada Ukil School of Art for its evening classes under Sailoz Mookherjea. His Hindi short stories appear in Hans and Prateek.

1946

Visits an exhibition of international artists at All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi, and is inspired by Henry Moore. Starts working in a bank.

1947

Quits banking and takes up part-time jobs to devote time to painting.

1948

Joins Hindustan as a journalism trainee, where J. Swaminathan too joins in six months. Though he leaves the newspaper soon to turn to a life of painting fulltime, he continues to write in Hindi, becoming an acclaimed writer in due course. Joins Delhi Silpi Chakra and participates in a few group exhibitions. Meets S. H. Raza at an exhibition, the two become good friends; Raza introduces him to F. N. Souza, K. H. Ara and other artists.

1949

Has his first solo exhibition at Y. M. C. A., Simla, where the only painting sold is to Dr. Zakir Hussain, then vice-chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia university, and future President of India (1967-69). A second exhibition at Delhi Town Hall follows. Convinces his father to send him to Paris; arrives in the French capital to study under André Lhote, an influential French writer and painter known for his figurative art, portraits, landscapes and still-lifes.

1950-51

Studies under Fernand Léger, a French painter, sculptor and filmmaker, considered a pioneer of pop art. 1949 Joins the Communist Party’s cultural wing, spending time with intellectual radicals like Louis Aragon, Roger Garaudy and Paul Éluard. Has a solo exhibition at Gallery Barbizon, Paris. To support himself, he does some freelance journalistic work and also gives tuitions in Hindi language. Travels across Italy and also visits Prague, Berlin and Warsaw.

1952

His involvement in political cells leads to a raid on his apartment by Paris police, and he is forced to leave for India. Back in India, he paints urban life as his subject, representing the alienation and loneliness of life in cities. Forms a lifelong friendship with art critic Richard Bartholomew.

1953

Has a solo show at Alliance Française in Bombay where he meets meets M. F. Husain; the two become close friends. Publishes his first novel, Ghar Bane, Ghar Toote, influenced by post- Partition refugees.

1954

Noted Urdu poet Josh Malihabadi inaugurates his exhibition in New Delhi.

1954-58

Figures disappear entirely from his canvas and he now paints landscapes—that of Sanjoli and Banaras—marking his early abstract phase, which lasts until 1961.

1955

Returns to Europe, attends the Peace Conference in Helsinki. Accompanied by Husain, he also visits Moscow and Leningrad in Russia. In Prague, he exhibits works at the National Museum, and a painting is acquired for its collection. Spends four months in Paris.

1956

His Sad Town wins the Lalit Kala Akademi’s national award. Holds a solo show in Colombo, Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

1957

Is co-founder of Shilalekh Group in Bombay with M. F. Husain, Tyeb Mehta, and V. S. Gaitonde. Participates in Tokyo Biennale. Has a solo show at Alliance Françiase, New Delhi.

1958

Is featured in the group show, ‘Seven Indian Painters’, at Graham Gallery, London. Experiments with lithography, producing prints like Untitled (Mother and Child) and Two Sisters. Participates in an exhibition in Bombay organised by the Shilalekh Group, along with Husain, Tyeb Mehta, and Gaitonde. Holds solo exhibitions in Warsaw and Krakow, Poland. Wins his second national award from Lalit Kala Akademi for Woman. Travels to Paris again, staying there for six months, visit Greece and the Venice Biennale. Publishes Husna Bibi, a collection of short stories in Hindi.

1959-60

Spends eight months each in Simla and Ranikhet moving towards an abstract phase in landscape painting. Is part of ‘Trends in Contemporary Paintings from India’, held at Graham Gallery, New York, featuring Husain, Raza, and Souza. Participates in the Tokyo Biennale. Holds a solo show at Kumar Gallery, New Delhi. Arrives in Benaras with Husain and makes sketches of the ghats without figures, one of which is acquired by Indira Gandhi. The lifechanging visit triggers a response that results in a series on the city, titled Benaras, a turning point in his career, marking his strongest identification with abstract landscapes. Participates in Sao Paulo Biennale and receives an honour mention. Publishes his second novel, Der Saber.

1960

Exhibits at Bombay’s Gallery 59 along with painters such as Raza, Padamsee, Gaitonde, Husain, and Krishen Khanna.

1963

Is part of ‘8 Contemporary Painters from India: Interaction of East and West’ in the U.S. organised by the India-America League.

1964

Has a solo exhibition at Gallery Chemould, Bombay. Is part of ‘Ten Indian Artists’, a touring exhibition in the U.S.

1965

Participates in Sao Paulo Biennale again.

1966

Visits East Berlin and continues his experiments with lithography. Has a solo show at Grosvenor Gallery, London.

1968

Lalit Kala Akademi produces a pocket book on the artist for its series on contemporary Indian art. Attends Documenta in Kassel, Germany, as part of a delegation of Indian artists. Holds an exhibition of paintings at Dhoomimal Gallery, New Delhi. Samudra (The Sea), a collection of short stories, is published.

1970

Is awarded the John D. Rockefeller III Fund grant and spends a year in New York.

1972

Honoured with the Padma Shri award.

1976

Visits Ladakh and makes a series of paintings inspired by its rugged landscape.

1977

Visits Jaisalmer in Rajasthan and is inspired by its sand dunes.

1978

Eminent writer Geeta Kapur devotes a chapter of her landmark book, Contemporary Indian Artists, to Ram Kumar’s life and work.

1980

Exhibits six works at the Sao Paulo Biennale and travels to Brazil and Peru, visiting Machu Picchu. Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Calcutta, hosts a retrospective of his works from 1953 to ’80. Is part of group show, ‘Contemporary Asian Artists’, at Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan.

1982

Attends opening of Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal. Ram Kumar’s work is part of an exhibition of contemporary Indian art in a six-month long celebration of Indian art and culture in England.

1985

Patrick Cazals shoots a film on Ram Kumar, in which fellow artists S. H. Raza, Akbar Padamsee and Krishna Reddy are also featured. Participates in the show, ‘Indian Artists in France’, as part of the Festival of India in France.

1986

Receives the Kalidas Samman by the Madhya Pradesh government in Bhopal.

1988

Holds an exhibition of works on paper at Alliance Française de Delhi. 1986 Travels to Iraq for the Biennale. Is part of the show, ‘Three Indian Artists’, in Karachi, Pakistan.

1990

The Centre for Contemporary Art, New Delhi, holds an exhibition of his acrylic and ink works on paper.

1993

A retrospective of his works is held at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. The exhibition then travels to Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay.

1995

Holds an exhibition of paintings with Jogen Chowdhury at Gallery Raku, Japan.

1997

The artist has a solo show at Arks Gallery, London.

2003

Is conferred the title of Officier des Arts et des lettres by the French government.

2008

His work, Vagabond, 1956, is sold for $1,161,000 at a Christie’s auction in New York.

2009

His works are included in the exhibition, ‘Indian Art After Independence: Selected works from the collections of Virginia and Ravi Akhoury and Shelley and Donald Rubin’ at the Emily Lowe Gallery, Hampstead, London.

2010

Receives the Padma Bhushan from the Indian government. Is part of the group show, ‘The Progressives and Associates’, at Grosvenor Gallery, London.

2011

Is made fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi. French filmmaker Laurent Brégeat is commissioned to make a film on the artist: Ram Kumar: Nostalgic Longing.

2014

An exhibition of his drawings from Benaras, 'Ram Kumar: Drawings from the 60s', is shown in Delhi and Kolkata.

2018

Passes away on April 14 in New Delhi.