Manchershaw Fakirjee Pithawalla (1872–1937) was an important painter of the Bombay School in the early 20th century.

Biography

M. F. Pithawalla was born in Pitha, Surat. He moved to Bombay following his father's death in 1888. He was discovered and trained by John Griffiths, the principal of

Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art The Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art (Sir J. J. School of Art) is the oldest art institution in Mumbai, India, and is affiliated with the University of Mumbai. The school grants bachelor's degrees in fine art and sculpture, and Master's de ...

. His first showing at the Bombay Fine Arts exhibition won him a silver medal. Thereafter, he began exhibiting widely at shows in

Simla Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India. After independence, the ...

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and

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. Pithawalla was a regular prize winner at exhibitions of art societies across India. He was the only artist to win three successive prizes at the

Bombay Art Society The Bombay Art Society is a non-profit art organization based in Mumbai. The institution was founded in 1888 for encouraging and promoting art. Most of the renowned artists on India's art scene have been associated with the Bombay Art Society in s ...

, including a gold medal in 1908. In 1911, Pithawalla left for Europe visiting Italy, Paris and London. He had a one-man show at the Dore Gallery in London in October, 1911. Later, his portrait of

Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, 1st Baronet Jejeebhoy of Bombay CMG (15 July 1783 – 14 April 1859), also spelt Jeejeebhoy or Jeejebhoy, was an Indian-Parsi merchant and philanthropist. He made a huge fortune in cotton and the opium trade with Ch ...

was displayed in an exhibition of "Modern Indian Art" at the

New Burlington Galleries The New Burlington Galleries was an art gallery at 5 Burlington Gardens, Mayfair, London. From 11 June to 4 July 1936, they held the ''International Surrealist Exhibition'', the first full exhibition of surrealist art in the UK. From 7 June to 28 ...

in London in 1934. His talent for portraiture drew praise in London. The art critic Sir George Birdwood wrote an article in his appreciation and commented on his copies of Velasquez and Rembrandt paintings, "When slightly aged, it will be hard to distinguish them from the originals." Pithawala's portraits document the ethos and hierarchy of the colonial establishment in India. He depicted members of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie, ladies and gentlemen of high standing – lawyers, landlords, elite merchants and their wives. He is also remembered for the album he was commissioned to make for Queen Mary on her Indian visit in 1905, containing watercolours of women from different Indian communities. M F Pithawala served a 30-year term as a committee member of the

and as vice-president of the Art Society of India.

Exhibitions

1894 Bombay Fine Art Exhb., Bombay. 1902 Exhb., Simla Fine Art Society, Simla. 1907, 09, 39 Annual Exhb. Bombay Art Society, Bombay. 1911 Solo exhb., Dore Gallery, London. Exhb. New Burlington Gallery, London. Exhb., Royal Society of Portrait Painting, London. 1912 Exhb. inaugurated by Her Excellency Lady Clarke, Hall of Elphinstone High School, Bombay. 2004 Manifestations II, organised by Delhi Art Gallery, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai and Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi.

Collection

National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Gallery Chemould, Mumbai. Jane and Kito de Boer, Dubai.

Awards

1894 awarded silver medal and cash prize of Rs. 70, Bombay Fine Art Exhb., Bombay. 1907 gold medal, annual exhb., Bombay Art Society, Bombay. 1908 gold medal, annual exhb., Bombay Art Society, Bombay. 1909 gold medal, annual rxhb., Bombay Art Society, Bombay. 1894-1911 awarded 24 gold and silver medals and 45 cash prizes.

References

External links