Manjit Bawa Indian, 1941-2008

Born in 1941 in Dhuri, Punjab, Manjit Bawa received a national diploma in fine arts from the School of Art, Delhi Polytechnic in 1963 and a diploma in silk screen painting from the Warden Institute of Essex, England, in 1967. In the late sixties, Bawa worked as a serigrapher in London and even taught painting at the Institute of Adult Education, England. In 1998, he started the organization Sama’a with Ina Puri to promote art and artists.

Over his career the artist attended several art camps including the Lalit Kala Akademi sponsored artist’s camp in Chennai, Graphic Camp 3 and a serigraphy camp in New Delhi, a printmaking camp in Bhopal, a graphic workshop at the Hokkaido Museum in Japan, among others.  

Some of his notable posthumous exhibitions include ‘Let’s Paint the Sky Red’ at Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi (2011); ‘Time Unfolded’ at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi (2011); ‘Dali’s Elephant’, Aicon Gallery, London (2010), to name a few. In his lifetime he participated in a number of solo shows, including Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai (2006, 2005); Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (2005); Bose Pascia Modern, New York, (2000); and Fine Art Gallery, Mumbai (2000), among others. His group shows include the Centre for International Modern Art, Kolkata (2008); Anant Art Gallery, New Delhi (2005); Gallery Espace, New Delhi (2004); and the Centre for International Modern Art, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata (2001–03), to name a few. 

The artist was also the recipient of the 1st Bharat Bhawan Biennale in Bhopal in 1986, the All India Exhibition of Prints and Drawings, Chandigarh, in 1981, the National Award, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi in 1980 and the Sailoz Mukherjee Prize, New Delhi in 1963. 

The artist died in December 2008.