Himmat Shah (1933-2025) was born in Lothal, Gujarat, spent his childhood around sites of the
Indus Valley Civilization, before moving to Bhavnagar, and later to the J.J. School of Art, Mumbai,
and Baroda. He studied printmaking in Paris, which informed his practice as a sculptor. He
executed monumental murals, worked with terracotta, clay, before turning to bronze. He set up
an experimental studio in Ghari, New Delhi, had his inimitable sculptures cast at a foundry in
London, and spent the last two decades of his life in Jaipur. Himmat Shah’s exploration of form,
material, and motifs made him one of the most important sculptors. He received the All India
Fine Arts and Crafts Society Award in 1996, Sahitya Kala Parishad award in 1998, and the Kalidas
Samman by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 2003.