Saryu Vinod Doshi is an Indian art scholar, art historian, academic and
curator
A curator (from la, cura, 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 parti ...
, known for her erudition in
Indian miniature painting
Indian painting has a very long tradition and history in Indian art, though because of the climatic conditions very few early examples survive.Blurton, 193 The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of prehistoric times, such as the ...
s and
Jain art
Jain art refers to religious works of art associated with Jainism. Even though Jainism has spread only in some parts of India, it has made a significant contribution to Indian art and architecture.
In general Jain art broadly follows the conte ...
. She is the founder director of the
National Gallery of Modern Art
National may refer to:
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,
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 secon ...
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, in ...
, New Delhi. She is the author of several books including ''Masterpieces of Jain Painting'', a monograph on selected Jain art pieces. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian award of the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...
, in 1999.
Biography
Saryu Doshi was born 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 secon ...
, in the western Indian state of Maharashtra and did her schooling at
Queen Mary School, Mumbai
The Queen Mary School, founded in 1875, is a private school for girls in Grant road, Mumbai, India. It operates under the management of the Christian Medical Educational Fellowship (C.M.E.F) Trust and prepares students to take the Indian Certifi ...
. Later, she graduated from the
Elphinstone College
Elphinstone College is one of the constituent colleges of Dr. Homi Bhabha State University, a state cluster university. Established in 1823, it is one of the oldest colleges in Mumbai. It played a major role in shaping and developing the edu ...
and secured a diploma in Arts from the
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 ...
before marrying Vinod Doshi, an industrialist from the Walchand Industrial Group and the son of
Lalchand Hirachand
Lalchand Hirachand Doshi (24 October 1904 – 1993) was a scion of Walchand group, noted industrialist, philanthropist and Jain social leader. who founded the
Hindustan Aeronautics
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bangalore, India. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the worl ...
. Though she stayed in Satara after the marriage, she visited Mumbai on a regular basis to keep in touch with the art circle of Mumbai. In 1972, she received the fellowship from the
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Ca ...
Jain art
Jain art refers to religious works of art associated with Jainism. Even though Jainism has spread only in some parts of India, it has made a significant contribution to Indian art and architecture.
In general Jain art broadly follows the conte ...
, for which she received a doctoral degree (PhD). She served as a visiting professor of Art History and Culture at
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
from January to April 1976 and returned to India and worked at the
University of Pune
Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), formerly the University of Poona, is a collegiate public state university located in the city of Pune, India. It was established in 1949, and is spread over a campus in the neighbourhood of Ganes ...
for the first six months of 1978. She also had a stint at
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
in 1979, from March to June, as a visiting faculty. Her researches have also helped in the discovery of many Jain manuscripts from the fifteenth century.
In 1996, Doshi was among the art enthusiasts who founded the
National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai
National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai was opened to the public in 1996. It hosts various exhibitions and art collections of famous artists, sculptors and different civilizations. It is situated in the Cowasji Jehangir Hall, near Regal Cinema ...
and served as the founder director of the institution. She took over the pro-tem chairmanship 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, in ...
in 1996 and held the post till 2002. She has curated several art exhibitions in India and is a former editor of non-profit publishing house of Marg, which published several of her books. Besides ''Masterpieces of Jain Painting'', she has also published three other monographs, namely, ''Dances of Manipur: The Classical Tradition'', on
Manipuri dance
, image =
, alt =
, caption = An illustration of the ''Manipuri Raas Leela'' dance, being depicted in a stamp from Armenia; transliterations of "Jagoi Raas" and "Manipuri Raas Leela", the terms in Meitei language (off ...
, ''Dharna Vihara, Ranakpur'', about the ancient
Jain temples
A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings gen ...
of
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
and ''Homage to Shravana Belgola'', about the ancient Jain pilgrim centre. ''Goa Cultural Patterns'', ''Shivaji and Facets of Maratha Culture'', ''A Collector's Dream : Indian Art in the Collections of Basant Kumar and Saraladevi Birla and the Birla Academy of Art and Culture'', ''The Indian Woman'', ''Homage to Karnataka'', ''Symbols and Manifestations of Indian Art'', ''Continuity and Change: Festival of India in Great Britain'', ''An age of splendour: Islamic art in India'', ''India and Greece, connections and parallels'', ''India and Egypt: Influences and Interactions'', ''Tribal India: Ancestors, Gods, and Spirits'', ''India: Week by Week (Kerala),'' ''Images and Tradition - Festival of India in Great Britain'' (Volume XXXVI) and ''Pageant of Indian Art: Festival of India in Great Britain'' are her other publications. She is a member of the advisory council of the India chapter of the
Asia Society
The Asia Society is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) and around the world (Hong Kong, Ma ...
and has travelled extensively to deliver keynote addresses at several seminars in Europe, US, Africa and Asia. She has also given talks on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
and
All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
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* ''All'' (All ...
.
The Government of India awarded her the civilian honour of the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...
in 1999. She received the ''Woman Achiever Award'' from the Bombay West Ladies' Circle in 2001 and the Art Society of India honoured her with Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
Vinod Doshi, her husband, died on 6 October 2008, leaving their son, Maitreya, with her. She lives along
Carmichael Road Carmichael may refer to:
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* Carmichael, California, United States
* Carmichael coal mine, a proposed mine in Central Queensland, Australia
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(later renamed as M. L. Dahanukar Marg), in South Mumbai.
As trustee of the Vinod and Saryu Doshi Foundation, Doshi oversees the annual Vinod Doshi Theatre Festival, which showcases experimental theater productions from young and independent theater artists in the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India.