Arpana Caur

Arpana Caur, born in 1954, is a renowned Indian artist whose work has made a significant impact both in India and internationally. Since 1974, she has exhibited widely, with solo shows not only in major Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore, and Chennai but also in prominent international galleries in cities like London, Glasgow, Berlin, Amsterdam, Singapore, Munich, New York, Stockholm, and Copenhagen. In 2016, a major retrospective of her work, spanning 40 years, was held at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Bangalore, in collaboration with the Svaraj Archive.

Her works are housed in prestigious institutions worldwide, including the Museums of Modern Art in Delhi, Mumbai, Patna, Chennai, Jaipur, Bhopal, and Chandigarh, as well as international locations such as Dusseldorf, Singapore, Bradford, Hiroshima, and various museums in the USA, including MOCA LA, Peabody Boston, the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, and the Brooklyn Museum. Arpana Caur's art can also be found in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Her contributions to the art world have been recognized with numerous accolades, including a gold medal at the 6th International Triennale in Delhi in 1986, and the AIFACS Award. She has also received the Lalit Kala Grant and has been the subject of films by the BBC, Stockholm TV, and various Indian television channels. One of her notable achievements was her commission by the Hiroshima Museum of Modern Art to create a large work for its permanent collection to mark the 50th anniversary of the Holocaust in 1995. Additionally, she was commissioned by the cities of Bangalore and Hamburg to create large non-commercial murals in public spaces, and since 1981, she has completed three significant murals in Delhi.

Caur's artwork is deeply rooted in concerns for the environment, spirituality, the condition of women, and the growing violence in the world. Her work reflects these themes through the lens of ancient Indian sculptures and miniatures, drawing on their rich visual language to communicate powerful messages. This intersection of traditional Indian art forms with contemporary concerns creates a unique, deeply meaningful body of work that resonates with audiences globally.