Akbar Padamsee

Akbar Padamsee’s oeuvre spans the gamut from traditional modernist leanings to oil and acrylic and more recently, photography and computer generated graphic art. Born in Mumbai, Padamsee received a Diploma in Fine Art from the Sir J.J School of Art in 1948 and moved to Paris in 1951 where he was based for many years. In 1965, he received the J.D Rockefeller III Fellowship and worked as artist-in-residence at the Stout State University, Wisconsin. He moved back to India in 1967 and was awarded the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship in 1969. A keen student of Sanskrit, he is well versed with ancient texts and draws from these various influences in his art.

Padamsee was invited to participate at the Venice Biennale (1953 and 1955), Sao Paolo Biennale (1959), Tokyo Biennale (1959), Seven Indian Painters, Gallery One, London (1958), India: Myth and Reality at the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford University (1981), Festival of India at the Royal Academy of Art, London (1982) and Festival of India in Moscow (1987), National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Delhi among other prestigious shows. Padamsee was awarded the Kalidas Samman by the Madhya Pradesh State Government in 1998. Padamsee lives and works in Mumbai.