He donned many hats at one go as he has experimented with a range of media, from oil on canvas to photography and digital printmaking. Akbar Padamsee, the artist who is known the most for his distinct focus on forms and colours was born in Mumbai in 1928.
He studied at the JJ School of Arts in Mumbai, following which he went to live and work in France. In 1952, he was awarded a prize by Andre Breton on behalf of the journnale d’ art and his first solo exhibition was held in Paris the same year at Galerie Saint Placide.
In 1965, he visited New York on a JD Rockfeller Foundation Award. He held an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Montreal. He also received the Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship in 1969.
Since the seventies, his work can be seen alternating between two major genres he works with – luminous metascapes that embody his signature style and the human figure. He also has a deep interest in Sanskrit scriptures, the influence of which an be found in some of his metascapes. But he remains best known for his faces which are umatched even today.
Padamsee has participated in several biennales in Sao, Paolo, Brazil, Tokyo and Venice.
‘The Body Unbound’, held at Rubin Museum of Art, New York in 2011-12; ‘Sensitive Surfaces’, at Galerie Helen Lamarque, Paris in 2008 are among his recent solo exhibitions. His recent participations include ‘Art for Humanity’, at Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj VastuSangrahalaya, Mumbai in 2012; ‘Crossings: Time Unfolded, Part 2’, at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, in 2012.
He lives and works in Mumbai.
Education
1951 Diploma, Sir J.J.School of Art, Mumbai
Exhibitions
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2013 'Past Forward', Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai
2013 'A Visual Metaphor', Giclee Prints on Canvas at India Fine Art, Mumbai
2013 Presented by Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai at India Art Fair, New Delhi
2013 'Lithographs and Photographs', Art Heritage, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi
2011-12 'The Body Unbound', Rubin Museum of Art, New York
2010 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
2010 'Body Parts', The Loft, Mumbai
2010 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
2008 ‘Sensitive Surfaces’, Galerie Helene Lamarque, Paris
2007 ‘Metascape to Humanscape’, Aicon Gallery, Palo Alto
2006 Metascape to Humanscape’, Aicon Gallery, New York
2006 Photographs (2004-06), Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
2005 Gallery Threshold and the French Embassy in India, New Delhi
2004 Retrospective of Watercolors, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
2003 ‘Critical Boundaries’, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
2002 ‘Drawing Show’, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
2002 ‘Tertiaries’, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1999 ‘Compugraphics’, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai and Art Heritage, New Delhi
1997 ‘Imaging Gandhi’, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1996 ‘Female Nudes’, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1994 ‘Mirror Images’, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1993 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1993 ‘Heads’, Sakshi Gallery, Bangalore
1992 Art Heritage, New Delhi
1992 Sanskriti Art Gallery, Kolkata
1988 Art Heritage, New Delhi and Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai
1986 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1980 Retrospective of works organized by Art Heritage, New Delhi and Mumbai
1981 Urja Gallery, Baroda
1975 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1974 ‘Metascapes’, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1972 ‘Metascapes’, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1967 Museum of Contemporary Art, Montreal
1963 Gallery ’63, New York
1962 KunikaChemould Art Centre, New Delhi
1960 Painting in Grey, Gallery ’59, Mumbai
1957 Galerie de Ventadour, France
1954 Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
1953 Gallery Raymond Creure, Paris
1952GalerieSaintPlacide,Paris SelectedGroupExhibitions
2017 'Events in Cloud Chamber: Documents from Vision Exchange Workshop', Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), New Delhi
2013 'Pioneers of Modernism', Sovereign FZE, Dubai
2013 'Nothing is Absolute: A Journey through Abstraction', The Jehangir Nicholson Gallery at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj VastuSangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai
2012 'Talking Heads', Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi
2012 'Gallery Collection', Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi
2012 'Rewind , Review ... ', Gallery Threshold, New Delhi 2012 'Contemporary: A Selection of Modern and Contemporary Art', prsented by Sakshi Gallery at The Park, Chennai
2011 'Form and Formlessness', Art Alive Gallery, Gurgaon
2011 'States of Departure: Progressives to Present Day', Aicon Gallery, London
2011 'POP: Progressives on Paper', Aicon Gallery, New York
2011 'Masterclass', Dhoomimal Art Gallery, New Delhi
2010-11 'Figure/Landscape: Part Two', Aicon Gallery, London
2010 'Figure/Landscape: Part One', Aicon Gallery, New York
2010 'The Progressives & Associates', Grosvenor Gallery, London
2010 'Black and White', Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai
2010 'From Miniature to Modern: Traditions in Transition', Rob Dean Art, London in association with Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
2010 'Black is Beautiful', India Fine Art, Mumbai
2010 'Masters of Maharashtra', collection from Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi at Piramal Gallery, National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai
2009 'Bharat Ratna! Jewels of Modern Indian Art', Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 2009 'Indian Art After Independence: Selected Works from the Collections of Virginia & Ravi Akhoury and Shelley & Donald Rubin', Emile Lowe Gallery, Hempstead
2009 'Sacred and Secular', India Fine Art, Mumbai
2009 'Think Small', Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi
2009 'Progressive to Altermodern: 62 Years of Indian Modern Art', Grosvenor Gallery, London
2008 'Faces', Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai
2008 ‘Freedom 2008 – Sixty Years of Indian Independence’, Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata
2007-08 ‘India Art Now: Between Continuity and Transformation’, Province of Milan, Milan, Italy
2007 ‘Winter Show’, Aicon Gallery, Palo Alto
2006 Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA) Gallery, Kolkata 2006 ‘Shadow Lines’, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi
2006 'Drawing Show an Act of Art II', Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai
2005 Contemporary Indian Art, Nehru Center, London
2005 ‘Visions of Landscape’, Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
2005 Ashta Nayak: Eight Pioneers of Indian Art', Aicon Gallery, New York
2005 Gallery Threshold, New Delhi
2004 ‘Anticipations’, Fine Arts Resource, Mumbai
2004 ‘Concept and Form’, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi
2004 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai 2002Saffronart and Pundole Gallery, New York
2002 'Words and Images', Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
2001 Saffronart and Pundole Gallery, New York
2001 'Engendering Images of a Woman', Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
2000 'Rare Collection' Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
1999 'Creative Process', Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
1998 'Drawings', Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
1997 Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai
1997 ’50 Years of Indian Art’, Mohile Parikh Centre for Visual Arts (MPCVA), Mumbai
1996 ‘Modern & Contemporary Paintings: One Hundred Years’, London
1995 Indian Contemporary Paintings, London
1994 ‘Mirror-Image Series’, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1993 Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai
1993 Reflections & Images, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
1992 Sanskrit Art Gallery, Kolkata
1992 Group Show with Laxman Shreshtha&Jogen Chowdhury, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1991 ‘National Exhibition of Contemporary Art’, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi
1991 ‘State of the Art’ First Computer Art Show in Mumbai, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
1990 Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai
1989 ‘Timeless Art’, Mumbai
1988 Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai
1987 Festival of India in U.S.S.R, Moscow
1985 Indian Artists in France
1985 ‘Artistes Indiensen France’ Foundation Nationale des Arts Graphiques et Plastiques,Paris
1984 Contemporary Indian Painters, Raj Bhavan, Mumbai. Organized by Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1982 ‘Contemporary Indian Art’, Festival of India, Royal Academy of Art, London
1981 ‘India: Myth & Reality – Aspects of Modern Indian Art’ Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Oxford
1981 Indian Painting Today, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
1979 ‘Focus’, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
1963 Gallery '63, New York
1958 ‘Seven Indian Painters’, Gallery One, London
1953 Galerie Raymond Creuse, Paris
1952GalerieSaintPlacide,Paris
Participations
2013 'The Naked and the Nude: The Body in Indian Modern Art', Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi
2012 'Modernist Art from India: Approaching Abstraction', Rubin Museum of Art, New York
2011-12 'Modernist Art from India: The Body Unbound', Rubin Museum of Art, New York
2012 'Small is Beautiful', Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai
2012 'Art for Humanity', Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj VastuSangrahalaya, Mumbai
2012 'Synergy 2012', 12th Anniversary Show, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai
2012 'Crossings: Time Unfolded, Part 2', Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), New Delhi
2011 'Ethos V: Indian Art Through the Lens of History (1900 to 1980), Indigo Blue Art, Singapore
2011 'Time Unfolded', Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), New Delhi
2010 'Art Celebrates 2010', represented by Gallery Threshold at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi to coincide with the hosting of the Commonwealth Games
2010 'Master’s Corner', organized by Indian Contemporary Art Journal at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; India International Art Fair, New Delhi 2010 'Contemporary Printmaking In India', presented by Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai
2010 'Manifestations IV', Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi
2009 'Miniature Format Show 2009 - IInd Part', Sans Tache Gallery, Mumbai
2008-09 ‘Expanding Horizons: Contemporary Indian Art’, Traveling Exhibition presented by Bodhi Art at Ravinder Natya Mandir, P.L.Despande Kala Academy Art Gallery, Mumbai; Sant DyaneshwarNatyaSankul Art Gallery, Amravati; Platinum Jubilee Hall, Nagpur; TapadiaNatya Mandir Sports Hall, Aurangabad; HirachandNemchandVachanalay’s, Solapur; Acharya VidyanandSanskrutik Bhavan, Kolhapur; PGSR Sabhagriha, SNDT, Pune; SarvajanikVachanalaya Hall, Nasik
2008 'Harvest 2008', organized by Arushi Arts at The Stainless Gallery, New Delhi
2008 ‘The Miniature Format Show – Part I’, Sans Tache, Mumbai
1968 Indian Triennale, New Delhi
1963 Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
1963 3rd Paris Biennale, Paris
1961 2nd Paris Biennale, Paris
1959 Tokyo Biennale, Japan
1959 Sao Paulo Biennale, Brazil
1955 Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
1953VeniceBiennale,Venice,Italy
Honours and Awards
2010 Padama Bhushan from Government of India
2010 Kailash Lalit Kala Award, New Delhi
2008 Roopdhar, Bombay Art Society, Mumbai
2007 Dayawati Modi Award
2004 Lalit Kala Ratna, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi
1997-98 Kalidas Samman by the Madhya Pradesh Government
1969 Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship
1967 Artist in Residence, Stout State University, Wisconsin
1965 J.D. Rockefeller IIIrd Fund, Fellowship
Back to Artists View Artworks of Akbar Padamsee
