Prafulla Dahanukar (1934 – 2014) was an Indian
painter, a leader in modern Indian art who also helped and influenced many young artists in India.
Biography
Prafulla Dahanukar was born Prafulla Joshi in
Bandora, Goa
Bandora is a census town in Ponda Taluka in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India.
Geography
Bandora is located at . It has an average elevation of 107 metres (351 feet).
Demographics
India census, Bandora had a population ...
to Subrai Anant Joshi and Kesarbai Bandodkar, and she grew up in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. She studied Fine Art at the
Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai and graduated with a Gold Medal in 1955.
Brief Biodata of Prafulla on Goa Artists.
/ref> She had a studio in the seminal Bulabhai Desai Institute in Mumbai and shared it with V. S. Gaitonde
Vasudeo S. Gaitonde (1924 – 10 August 2001), also known as V. S. Gaitonde, was regarded as one of India's foremost abstract painters. He received the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1971.
Early life and education
Gaitonde was born ...
, becoming part of the Progressive Artists' Group
The Progressive Artists' Group (PAG), was a group of modern artists, mainly based in Bombay, from its formation in 1947. Though it lacked any particular style, there might be said to have been a move towards a synthesis of influences from Indian ...
from 1956 to 1960. The Institute was filled with luminaries who transformed the art and culture scene in India. The Government of France awarded her a scholarship to study fine art in Paris in 1961.
Dahanukar served the cause of art and painting for all her life. She was a committee member of the Lalit Kala Akademi
The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art (LKA) is India's national academy of fine arts. It is an autonomous organisation, established in New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, i ...
in New Delhi from 1974 to 1979, and the President of Bombay Art Society for 11 years from 1993 to 1998 and from 2010 till her death in 2014. She was a trustee of the Jehangir Art Gallery (for over 40 years) and committee member of Kala Academy
Kala Academy (Academy of the Arts) is a prominent cultural centre run by the Government of Goa, in Goa, India. Situated at Campal, Panjim, it is registered as a society, and was started in February 1970. The building was designed by Charles Co ...
in Goa (for over 30 years). She was also the President of the Art Society of India and the Chairperson of The Artists' Centre, Mumbai. She was also the Founder president of India Art Festival , an only art fair then in Mumbai started in 2010-11.
Prafulla Dahanukar was one of the founder members of Sangit Kala Kendra with Aditya Birla
Aditya Vikram Birla (14 November 1943 – 1 October 1995) was an Indian industrialist. Born into one of the largest business families of India, he oversaw the diversification of his group into textiles, petrochemicals and telecommunications. ...
, its President for 3 years and continued to work on its committee for over 30 years. She was the committee member of the Music Forum. She was on the Board of Trustees of the Indian National Theatre for the last 4 years. Besides the work for the artists, she was involved as the main trustee for last 30 years of an orphanage called Bal Anandgram in Lonavala
Lonavala (ISO 15919, ISO: Loṇāvaḷā) is a hill station town and a Municipal Council in the Pune district, Maharashtra, India. It is about west of Pune and to the east of Mumbai. It is known for its production of the hard candy ''chikki'' a ...
. She had two daughters (Gauri Mehta and Gopika Dahanukar) and five grandchildren (Ritam Mehta, Kamakshi Kaarthikeyan, Anam Mehta, Shantala Mehta and Keshava Kaarthikeyan).
Work
Prafulla Dahanukar painted abstract landscapes in generally one vivid and dominant color, with myriad shades and subtlety. She called her paintings "Eternal Space" as she believed that space is unending and couldn't be destroyed.
Exhibitions and Museum Collections
She had solo exhibitions regularly from 1956. While in Paris she held an exhibition of her paintings in 1961 and has since then participated in many international exhibitions in England, Hungary, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Japan, Portugal, Iceland and France. She has exhibited solo 3 times in London, the first of which was sponsored by the High Commission of India in 1978. Citibank
Citibank, N. A. (N. A. stands for " National Association") is the primary U.S. banking subsidiary of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City ...
sponsored her show in 2006 in Ardean Gallery in Cork Street, London. In India she has had several individual shows in Mumbai, Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
, and Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
. Barclays Bank
Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services.
Barclays traces ...
recently in November 2008 sponsored her exhibition in Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
which was opened by the famous painter M.F. Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain (17 September 1915 – 9 June 2011) was an Indian artist known for executing bold, vibrantly coloured narrative paintings in a modified Cubist style. He was one of the most celebrated and internationally recognised Ind ...
. On completion of fifty years of her career as a painter, she was honored by the Jehangir Art Gallery
Jehangir Art Gallery is an art gallery in Mumbai (India). It was founded by Sir Cowasji Jehangir at the urging of K. K. Hebbar and Homi Bhabha. It was built in 1952. Managed by the Committee of Management, the entire cost of this mansion was d ...
which sponsored a Retrospective show of her career paintings. Prafulla's paintings have been offered on Sotheby's
Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...
and Osean art auctions.
Prafulla used her artistic talent in creating murals in ceramic, wood and glass. These murals adorn prominent buildings in Mumbai, Pilani
Pilani is a small city situated in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, India. Administratively, it forms a part of Jhunjhunu district.
The place became popular since the establishment of BITS Pilani.The city is also the home to some of the olde ...
, Kolkata and Muscat (Oman).
Her paintings are in the collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
and Lalit Kala Academy
The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art (LKA) is India's national academy of fine arts. It is an autonomous organisation, established in New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, ...
in New Delhi, the Central Museum in Nagpur, the Prince of Wales Museum
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, (CSMVS) originally named Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is a museum in Mumbai (Bombay) which documents the history of India from prehistoric to modern times.
It was founded during Briti ...
in Mumbai, and many institutional and private collections in India and overseas.
Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation
Th
Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation (PDAF)
was started by Dilip Dahanukar, in memory of his wife Prafulla Dahanukar. The PDAF is a unique art foundation, sponsored initially by the leading artists of India sending in a painting each, in memory of Prafulla, with the funds from sale of these paintings launching this non-profit organization, formed by artists, for artists.
PDAF has grown into one of the largest awarders of fellowships to emerging artists all over India. The foundation is working to support and provide a platform for the community of artists, so that new, young artists get visibility and patronage for their art, and senior artists can guide them through their initial years of struggle.
In 2014, the PDAF launched a new initiative, the Emerging Artist Reward Scheme, which is a contest for artists registered with the PDAF. Through this, the PDAF will give out Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards to artists at the state level and at the all-India level, across six different categories of art i.e.; Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Printmaking, Installation and Photography. The overall winners of the contest will win a sponsored solo show at a leading art gallery in Mumbai.
Awards
* 1955: Silver Medal for her painting in the Annual Exhibition of 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 ...
.
References
External links
Prafulla's paintings photobook
Dignity Article on Prafulla Dahanukar
Art World
Quarter Art London
DNA news
Latest News 15 May 2010
Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation - founded by artists for artists
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahanukar, Prafulla
20th-century Indian painters
2014 deaths
1934 births
Women artists from Goa
Artists from Mumbai
Indian women painters
20th-century Indian women artists
Indian women contemporary artists
Indian contemporary painters
21st-century Indian painters
21st-century Indian women artists
Painters from Goa
Painters from Maharashtra
Women artists from Maharashtra
Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art alumni