Rajeev Sethi (born 24 May 1949) is a noted Indian

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exper ...

scenographer A scenographer or scenic designer, also production designer, is a person who develops the appearance of a stage design, a TV or movie set, a gaming environment, a trade fair exhibition design or a museum experience exhibition design. The term ori ...

and

art curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

. In 1986, he was awarded the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

, India's third highest civilian award, given

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

Early life and background

Sethi was born in

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, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

to freedom fighter parents. His mother, Krishna Sethi was a member of Delhi's first Legislative Assembly and his father Kishorilal Sethi was a businessman and a poet. He also had four elder sisters. He went to Modern School, New Delhi and studied History at St. Stephen's College, Delhi.

Career

Sethi spent his formative years in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he first went to study graphic art on a scholarship. Thereafter he trained under painter and printmaker Stanley William Hayter at his studio, Atelier 17. He was mentored by American designers Ray and

Charles Eames Charles Ormond Eames Jr. (June 17, 1907 – August 21, 1978) was an American designer, architect and filmmaker. In professional partnership with his wife Ray-Bernice Kaiser Eames, he made groundbreaking contributions in the fields of architect ...

. Finally he got a chance to work at studio of French designer,

Pierre Cardin Pierre Cardin (born Pietro Costante Cardin; 2 July 1922 – 29 December 2020) was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer. He is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs. He preferred geometry, geometric shap ...

. Meanwhile, in 1960, he designed Delhi's first

discotheque A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

, ''Cellar'' at Regal Building, Connaught Place. He is curator and founder-chairman of the Asian Heritage Foundation. He designed the Jaya He GVK New Museum at the brand new T2 terminal in Mumbai. He is also part of INTACH constituted the first Governing Council.

Jaya He GVK New Museum

The

Jaya He Museum Jaya may refer to: Media *''Jaya'', self titled albums by Jaya (singer), released in 1989, 1996 and 2001 * ''Jaya'' (film), a 2002 Indian Tamil film Hindu mythology *''Jaya'', a Sanskrit term meaning victorious *'' Jaya Samhita'', an earlie ...

is spread over three km, an area covering 80,000 sq ft on walls at the Mumbai T2 terminal. The Jaya He GVK New Museum is the metaphorical centerpiece of the majestic new airport terminal.

Projects

* VIP Lounge, Delhi International Airport (1984) * Shah House, Mumbai (1985–86) * Spice Route Restaurant, the Imperial Hotel, New Delhi (1988–95) * Laxmi Machine Works Headquarters, Coimbatore (1996) * Art at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai (2003) * Hampi Resort (2006) * Leela Kempinski (2008) * Art at Hyatt (2012) * Terminal 2 - Mumbai Airport (2014)

Awards and recognition

* Sanskriti Award for the field of outstanding social and cultural achievement (1980) * National order of the

from the President of India (1985) * Honour Summus Medal by Watumull Foundation USA for design (1987) * Designer of the Year, Interior Design - the Publication's Inaugural award (1992) * Honoured by the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

(2001) * Artisan Advocate by Aid to Artisans, USA (2004) * Foundation Member of the

World Academy of Art and Science The World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS), founded in 1960, is an international non-governmental scientific organization and global network of more than 800 scientists, artists, and scholars in more than 90 countries. It serves as a forum for s ...

, USA * The First Indira Gandhi Lifetime Achievement Award for conservation by INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage) 2010

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sethi, Rajeev 20th-century Indian designers 1949 births Indian art curators Living people People from Delhi Indian interior designers St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni Indian scenic designers Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Atelier 17 alumni