Ram Kumar (23 September 1924 – 14 April 2018) was an Indian artist and writer who has been described as one of India's foremost abstract painters. He was associated with the Progressive artists' group along with greats like M.F. Hussain, Tyeb Mehta, S.H. Raza. He is said to be one of the first Indian artists to give up figurativism for

abstract art Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a Composition (visual arts), composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. ''Abstract art'', ''non-figurative art'', ''non- ...

. His art commands high prices in the domestic and international market. His work "The Vagabond" fetched $1.1 million at

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

, setting another world record for the artist. He is also one of the few Indian Modernist masters accomplished in writing as well as painting.

Early life and education

Ram Kumar Verma was born in

Shimla 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 the summer capital of British India. After independence, the city ...

, the capital of the Indian state of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

in a large middle-class family of eight brothers and sisters. His father was a government employee from

Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubar ...

Punjab, India Punjab () is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states ...

who worked in the Civil and Administrative Division in the British Government. While pursuing M.A. in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, he chanced upon an art exhibition in 1945. One evening, after "loitering" around Connaught Place with his friends from St Stephen's College, he landed up at an art exhibition. Ram Kumar took classes at the Sharda Ukil School of Art under Sailoz Mukherjee and gave up employment at a bank in 1948 to pursue art. Sailoz Mukherjee was a painter from Shantiniketan School who introduced him to still life painting with live models. While a student there, he met Raza at an exhibition. Raza and Ram became good friends. He convinced his father to pay for a one-way ticket to Paris and studied further there under Andre Lhote and

Fernand Léger Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, and film director, filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually ...

. In Paris, the pacificist peace movement attracted him and he joined the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...

. Seeking inspiration in the Social Realists such as Kathe and Fourgenon. He was befriended by S.H. Raza and MF Hussain who are two major artists.

Career

Ram Kumar painted abstract landscapes, usually in oil or acrylic. He was also associated with the Progressive artists' group. Ram Kumar has participated in various exhibitions in and out of India, including the 1958

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

and the Festival of India shows in the then USSR and Japan in 1987 and 1988. One of Ram Kumar's latest solo exhibitions was in 2008 in Delhi. Ram Kumar also wrote in Hindi and eight collections of his works have been published, as well as two novels and a travelogue. The human condition is the main concern of the painter manifested in his early works by the alienated individual within the city. Later the city, specifically

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

with its dilapidated, crammed houses, conveys a sense of hopelessness. Increasingly abstract works done in sweeping strokes of paint evoke both exultation of natural spaces and more recently an incipient violence within human habitation. As the interest in Indian art has grown, paintings by Ram Kumar are getting increasing recognition in the art market. Ram Kumar received the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

in 1972 and 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 honour, in 2010. ''Lal Bhi Udhaas Ho Sakta Hai'' (''Even Red Can be Sad''), a 2015 documentary feature directed by Amit Dutta and produced by the

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 ...

's Films Division charts the various works of Kumar.

Personal life

Ram Kumar was also the older brother of the famous Hindi writer, Nirmal Verma and younger brother of Colonel, Raj Kumar Verma. He lived and worked 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 ...

until his death in 2018.

Awards and honours

* John D. Rockefeller III Fellowship, New York, 1970 * Padmashree, Government of India, 1972 *Premchand Puraskar,

Government of Uttar Pradesh The Government of Uttar Pradesh (International Organization for Standardization, ISO: ''Uttara Pradēśa Sarakāra''; often abbreviated as GoUP) is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with the governor as its appoin ...

, 1972 * Kalidas Samman, Government of Madhya Pradesh, 1986 * Officers Arts et Letters,

Government of France The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

, 2003 *Lifetime Achievement Award, Government of Delhi, 2010 *

, 2010 * Fellowship of the Lalit Kala Akademi, 2011

References

External links

Ramkumar Artworks and Public Auction Prices and Economic DataRam Kumar Profile, Interview and Collection of Art WorksRam Kumar – Paintings

Oil Painting of Varanasi by Ram Kumar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Ram 1924 births 2018 deaths 20th-century Indian painters People from Shimla St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni Indian abstract painters Hindi-language writers Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Rockefeller Fellows Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Fellows of the Lalit Kala Akademi Painters from Himachal Pradesh Recipients of Kalidas Samman People from Punjab Province (British India)