Born on 1913 in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, and though self-taught with no formal art education, he arrived in Bombay in 1937 to pursue painting. His style blends folk, tribal, mythological, and modernist influences, often simplifying forms through a Cubist lens and using bold, dynamic compositions. He became renowned for his paintings of horses, as well as iconic series on Mother Teresa, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the British Raj, Vinayak series and various urban and rural scenes. Recipient of Padma Shri (1966), Padma Bhushan (1973), and Padma Vibhushan (1991), and his works are held in significant collections such as the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. He passed away in London in 2011, after spending his later years working in exile between London and Dubai following controversies in India.