S.H. Raza

Born in 1922 in Mandla district, Madhya Pradesh, S. H. Raza studied at the Sir J. J. School of Art in Bombay before moving to Paris in 1950 on a French government scholarship to study at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts, a journey that significantly shaped his artistic language. His early works consisted of expressive landscapes inspired by memories of forests, rivers, and the Indian countryside, but over time his practice evolved from representation to abstraction. Influenced by European modernism, Abstract Expressionism, and Indian philosophy, Raza gradually developed a visual language based on colour, geometry, and spirituality, culminating in his iconic Bindu motif - a symbolic point representing creation, energy, and the cosmos. Among his well-known works are Saurashtra, Ankuran, Bindu, Ciel Rouge Sur Le Lac, and Carcassonne, which reflect different phases of his artistic journey. Over the course of his long career, he received several major honours including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and the Prix de la Critique in France, and his works are part of important museum and private collections worldwide. After living and working in France for several decades, Raza returned to India in his later years and lived and worked in New Delhi until his passing in 2016, leaving behind a body of work that remains central to the story of modern Indian art.