Saryu Vinod Doshi is an Indian art scholar, art historian, academic and

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 ...

, known for her erudition in Indian miniature paintings 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 cont ...

. She is the founder director of the

National Gallery of Modern Art The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is the premier art gallery under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The main museum at Jaipur House in New Delhi was established on 29 March 1954 by the Government of India, with subsequent b ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and a former pro-tem chairman 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 ...

, 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 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 1999.

Biography

Saryu Doshi was born in

, in the western Indian state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

and did her schooling at Queen Mary School, Mumbai. 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 1856, 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 (B.F.A) degrees in Painting, ceramic, Metal work, ...

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 Public sector undertakings in India, public sector aerospace and defence (military), defence company, headquartered in Bengaluru. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and lar ...

. 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 foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

and pursued research on Indian miniature art and

, for which she received a doctoral degree (PhD). She served as a visiting professor of Art History and Culture at

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

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 Pune, is a 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 Ganeshkhind. The uni ...

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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

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

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 Marg or MARG may refer to: People * Elwin Marg (1918–2010), American optometrist and neuroscientist * Harald Marg (born 1954), German canoer * Marg Downey (born 1961), Australian comedian * Marg Helgenberger, American actress * Marg Moll (1 ...

, 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 Manipuri dance, sometimes also referred to as the Manipuri Raas Leela (), is a jagoi and is one of the major Classical Indian dance, Indian classical dance forms, originating from the state of Manipur. It is one of the Meitei intangible cult ...

, ''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 ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

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 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle) and around the world (Hong Ko ...

and has travelled extensively to deliver keynote addresses at several seminars in Europe, US, Africa and Asia. She has also given talks on

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

and

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

. The Government of India awarded her the civilian honour of the

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 Road is an upmarket residential street of Mumbai, India. Situated on a ridge in South Mumbai, it is now officially called Mahadev Laxman Dahanukar Marg. It has many old style bungalows and apartment houses, such as the art deco '' ...

(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.

Bibliography

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References

External links

"In Conversation with Saryu Doshi"
Sahapedia, YouTube. {{DEFAULTSORT:Doshi, Saryu Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Year of birth missing (living people) Elphinstone College alumni Scientists from Mumbai Indian art critics Indian art historians Lalit Kala Akademi Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art alumni Indian curators Rockefeller Fellows University of Michigan faculty Academic staff of Savitribai Phule Pune University University of California, Berkeley faculty Living people 20th-century Indian historians Indian women historians Indian women art critics Women writers from Maharashtra 20th-century Indian women writers 20th-century Indian writers Historians of Indian art Educators from Maharashtra Women educators from Maharashtra