Akbar Padamsee is a contemporary Indian artist.

He received his diploma from the Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, in 1951. He lives and works in Mumbai, India

He is a painter, film maker, sculptor, photographer, engraver, and lithographer.

As a member of many artistic committees, he took part in the development of the collections of the Bharat Bhavan museum of Bhopal, and created the VIEW (Vision Exchange Workshop). He curated major cultural events and received many distinctions such as the Padmashri in 2009.

His work is introspective; his “Metascapes” or his “Mirror Images” are “abstract images” formed from the search for a formal logic. His topics include landscapes, nudes, heads and he has done portraits created in pencil and charcoal. The depth which emerges from his oil-based works, emanates from the colored matter. This creates a pictorial technique juxtaposing emerging split forms.

He has done, in addition to his painted work, black and white photographs which use light to create dimension. Padamsee always explored new plastic genres; he also created “SYZYGY”, “Events in a Cloud Chamber” films shot in 1970, and explored computers in “Compugraphics”.

Recent publications

• Padamsee, Surfaces sensibles, galerie Hélène Lamarque, Paris, 2008
• Padamsee, Work in language, Marg/Pundole gallery, 372 p, 348 ill; Mumbai 2009,
• Padamsee, Works and Words, film by Laurent Brégeat, 55mn, Lalit Kala Akademi, 2010

Exhibitions Selected Solo Exhibition

• 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 Kunika Chemould 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
• 1952 Galerie Saint Placide, Paris

Selected Group Exhibition

• 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 Gallery Threshold, New Delhi
• 2004 ‘Anticipations’, Fine Arts Resource, Mumbai
• 2004 ‘Concept and Form’, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi
• 2004 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
• 2002 Saffronart 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 Indiens en 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
• 1952 Galerie Saint – Placide, Paris Participations
• 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 Dyaneshwar Natya Sankul Art Gallery, Amravati; Platinum Jubilee Hall, Nagpur; Tapadia Natya Mandir Sports Hall, Aurangabad; Hirachand Nemchand Vachanalay’s, Solapur; Acharya Vidyanand Sanskrutik Bhavan, Kolhapur; PGSR Sabhagriha, SNDT, Pune; Sarvajanik Vachanalaya 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 São Paulo Biennale, Brazil
• 1955 Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
• 1953 Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy

Honours and Awards

• 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

External links

• http://akbarpadamsee.net/
• http://www.saffronart.com/
• Painting at the Lalit Kala Akademi website
• Some Padamsee Paintings
• Artist profile, some sketches
• Padamsee on Tevasia
• http://www.pundoleartgallery.in/aboutus/default.asp