Sudhir Patwardhan Indian, b. 1949

Born in Pune, Maharashtra, in 1949, Sudhir Patwardhan graduated in medicine from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, in 1972, and practised as a radiologist in Thane from 1975 to 2005. The social fabric of the bustling cityscapes of Thane and Mumbai and the lives of its inhabitants – particularly a sub-altern, rising middle class – are a continuing source of inspiration for Patwardhan, who demonstrates a tremendous empathy towards his surroundings.

Patwardhan’s work has most recently been exhibited at Fragments of Belonging, at the inaugural edition of the Bengal Biennale, as well as the Barbican Centre, London, in a group show titled The Imaginary Institution of India, curated by Shanay Jhaveri, in 2024. A full retrospective of Patwardhan’s work, titled Walking Through Soul City, curated by Nancy Adajania, was held at the National Gallery of  Modern Art, Mumbai, in 2019–2020. Patwardhan has held more than fifteen solo exhibitions, including at Vadehra Art Gallery, Delhi (2017); Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (2017); Gallerie 88, Kolkata (2016); Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai (2012); and Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai (2011), to name a few. A large exhibition of selected works from 1970 to 2018 titled Hamsafar was held at Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal (2018).

A monograph on his work titled The Complicit Observer, written by Ranjit Hoskote, was published in 2004, followed by another book by the author on Patwardhan’s drawings in 2007, titled The Crafting of Reality. Most recently, the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, and the Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai, published Walking Through Soul City, with texts by Nancy Adajania, R. Siva Kumar, Timothy Hyman and Madhav Imartey.

Patwardhan’s paintings are included in many prominent public and private collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi; National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi and Mumbai; Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; Jehangir Nicholson Collection, Mumbai; Punjab University Museum, Chandigarh; Roopankar Museum, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal; Gallery of Contemporary Art, Kochi; and the Peabody Essex Museum, USA.

The artist lives and works in Thane, near Mumbai, India.