Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh
Encyclopedia
Gulam Mohammed Sheikh is an internationally renowned Painter
, Writer
and Art critic
. He was awarded the prestigious Padmashri award for his contribution to art in 1983.
His collection of surrealistic poems Athwa has won considerable critical acclaim. He has also written a prose series Gher Jatan and edited a special number of Kshitij
.
, Baroda and Royal College of Art
, London
.
in 1987 and 2002, and a Writer/Artist in Residence at Civitella Ranieri Center, Umbertide, Italy (1998), at the University of Pennsylvania
(2002), and at Montalvo, California (2005).
Sheikh has been a major figure in the world of Indian art for more than four decades. He has participated in major exhibitions all over the world and his works are displayed in private and public collections including the National Gallery of Modern Art
in New Delhi
, Victoria and Albert Museum
in London
and the Peabody Essex Museum
in Salem, USA. Gulam has been active not merely as an artist but also as a teacher and writer.
Born in 1937 in Surendranagar, Gujarat, Sheikh adopted Baroda as his own city. He took Baroda’s wounds as his own and narrated them in his works. “Sheikh’s art is by its nature,” writes Chaitanya Sambrani, “one that takes on task of narrating, and therefore, recreating the world. There is a close tie-in between this narrative and an act of mapping the world, which gives to the speaking subject the possibility of addressing the world as his/her own”. Recently Sheikh had been working on the Mappa Mundi series where he defines new horizons and ponders over to locate himself in. Sheikh construes these personal universes enthused from the miniature shrines where he urges the audience to exercise the freedom to build up their Mappa Mundi. His deep understanding of literary tradition especially Sufism enables him to create visual couplets in his works.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, Writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and Art critic
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
. He was awarded the prestigious Padmashri award for his contribution to art in 1983.
His collection of surrealistic poems Athwa has won considerable critical acclaim. He has also written a prose series Gher Jatan and edited a special number of Kshitij
Kshitij
Kshitij is the annual techno-management fest of the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India. Kshitij started off in 2004 with the aim of promoting technology and entrepreneurship in India, and in 8 years, it has grown to become the Asia’s largest techno-management fest. The...
.
Early life
Sheikh was born in 1937 in Surendranagar, Gujarat, India. He studied painting at Faculty of Fine ArtsFaculty of Fine Arts
The Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU Baroda is one of the top three art colleges in India. It has a reputation for promoting a creative and individualist approach among its students, and has historically adhered to secularist, humanist, and modernist ideals....
, Baroda and Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Career
Gulam started his career in 1960 when he joined as a teacher in the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda. His teaching positions have included teaching art history in the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda (1960–63 and 1967–81,) and as Professor of Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda (1982–1993). He has been a Visiting Artist at the Art Institute of ChicagoArt Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
in 1987 and 2002, and a Writer/Artist in Residence at Civitella Ranieri Center, Umbertide, Italy (1998), at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(2002), and at Montalvo, California (2005).
Sheikh has been a major figure in the world of Indian art for more than four decades. He has participated in major exhibitions all over the world and his works are displayed in private and public collections including the National Gallery of Modern Art
National Gallery of Modern Art
The National Gallery of Modern Art is the leading Indian art gallery. The main museum at New Delhi was established on March 29, 1954 by the Government of India, with subsequent branches at Mumbai and Bangalore...
in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the Peabody Essex Museum
Peabody Essex Museum
The Peabody Essex Museum , originally the Peabody Museum of Salem and the Essex Institute, in Salem, Massachusetts is the oldest continuously operating museum in the United States, and holds one of the major collections of Asian art in the US; its total holdings include about 1.3 million pieces, as...
in Salem, USA. Gulam has been active not merely as an artist but also as a teacher and writer.
Born in 1937 in Surendranagar, Gujarat, Sheikh adopted Baroda as his own city. He took Baroda’s wounds as his own and narrated them in his works. “Sheikh’s art is by its nature,” writes Chaitanya Sambrani, “one that takes on task of narrating, and therefore, recreating the world. There is a close tie-in between this narrative and an act of mapping the world, which gives to the speaking subject the possibility of addressing the world as his/her own”. Recently Sheikh had been working on the Mappa Mundi series where he defines new horizons and ponders over to locate himself in. Sheikh construes these personal universes enthused from the miniature shrines where he urges the audience to exercise the freedom to build up their Mappa Mundi. His deep understanding of literary tradition especially Sufism enables him to create visual couplets in his works.
Awards
- National Award, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, 1962.
- Padmashri by Government of India, 1983
- Kalidas Samman, Madhya Pradesh Government, 2002.
Exhibitions
- Solo Exhibition at Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay, 1960
- National Exhibition, New Delhi, 1962
- The VII Tokyo Biennale, Tokyo, Japan, 1963
- Cinquieme Biennale de Paris, Paris, 1967
- 25 Years of Indian Art, Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, 1972
- Contemporary painting of India, Belgrade, Warsaw, Sofia, Brussels, 1974
- III Triennale (India), Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, 1975
- Place for People (6 artists), Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay and Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi, 1981
- Contemporary Indian Art, Royal Academy of Arts, Festival of India, London, 1982
- Returning Home, Solo Exhibition (a retrospective selection of work from 1968 to 1985) at Centre Georges Pompidou, Musee National d’Art Modeme, Paris, 1985
- Timeless Art, exhibition and auction, Times of India sesquicentennial at Victoria Terminus, Bombay, 1989
- Realism as an Attitude, IV Asian Art Show, Fukuoka, Japan, 1995
- Two-person show (with Bhupen Khakhar), Walsh Gallery, Chicago, USA, 2002
Publications
- Athwa (poems in Gujarati) , Butala , Vadodara 1974.
- Laxma Goud, monograph on the artist, Hyderabad, A. P. Lalit Kala Akademi, Hyderabad 1981.
- Contemporary Art of Baroda (ed.), Tulika, New Delhi 1996.
- Essays, articles and papers in 'Marg', 'Journal of Arts & Ideas', 'Lalit Kala Contemporary' as well as Hindi and Gujarati journals.
- Exhibition catalogues of K G Subramanyan, Jeram Patel, Laxma Goud, DLN Reddy, D Devraj, etc.