Akbar Padamsee

with S. H. Raza and Akbar Padamsee in 1952 Padamsee was born into a traditional Khoja Muslim family hailing from the Kutch region of Gujarat. Padamsee's father, Hassan Padamsee, was an affluent businessman who owned 10 buildings and also ran a glassware and furniture business. His mother, Jenabhai Padamsee, was a home-maker. Akbar Padamsee was one of their eight children; one of his brothers is the actor Alyque Padamsee. Although rich, the family was not well-educated, and neither of his parents had received much education. Alyque and his brothers (but not his sisters) were the first to attend school and learn English there; the parents later picked up a smattering of the language from their sons. Early in life, he started copying images from The Illustrated Weekly of India magazine in his father's accounts books at their store on Chakla Street, in South Mumbai. He had a number of siblings, but the most notable of them is Alyque Padamsee, who was a celebrated theatre personality & advertising mogul who headed the Lintas Bombay Ad agency. In the last years of his life, Padamsee and his wife Bhanu are reported to have moved into the Isha Yoga Center, Coimbatore permanently, after having visited the centre a few times several years ago. ==Career==

In late 1950, Raza was awarded a French government scholarship, and he invited Padamsee to accompany him to Paris. Padamsee left for Paris in 1951, where artist Krishna Reddy introduced him to the surrealist Stanley Hayter, who became his next mentor. Padmasee soon joined his studio, "Atelier 17". His first exhibition was held in Paris in 1952. The artists exhibited anonymously, thus he shared the prize awarded by the French magazine ''Journal d'Arte'' with the painter Jean Carzou. ==Filmmaking==

Between 1969 and 1970, Akbar Padamsee, one of the pioneers of Modern Indian painting, made a rare 16mm experimental film titled Syzygy. This was a silent animation film made up solely of lines and dots and the connections between them. This film was made using a code or algorithm and can now be seen as an early example of generative art. The word syzygy is often used to describe interesting configurations of astronomical objects in general. With its attempt at pure form, it is also a precursor to computer art or digital art, despite being entirely hand-made. After just a handful of screenings in 1970, the film was shipped to an art expo in New Delhi where it was misplaced. The reversal print is now lost and no copies exist. ==Publications==

• Padamsee, Padamsee, Text by Shamlal, Published by Pundole Art Gallery`, 2004 • Padamsee, Works on Paper-Critical Boundaries, Text by Shamlal, Published by Vakils & Sons, 1964 • Padamsee, Work in language, Marg/Pundole gallery, 372 p, 348 ill; Mumbai 2009, • Padamsee, Works and Words, film by Laurent Brégeat, 55mn, Lalit Kala Akademi, 2010 ==Selected solo exhibitions==

• 2010 'Body Parts', The Loft, Mumbai • 2010 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2008 'Sensitive Surfaces', Galerie Helene Lamarque, Paris • 2007 'Metascape to Humanscape', Aicon Gallery, Palo Alto • 2006 Metascape to Humanscape', Aicon Gallery, New York • 2006 Photographs (2004–06), Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2005 Gallery Threshold and the French Embassy in India, New Delhi • 2004 Retrospective of Watercolors, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2003 'Critical Boundaries', Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2002 'Drawing Show', Gallery Chemould, Mumbai • 2002 'Tertiaries', Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1999 'Compugraphics', Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai and Art Heritage, New Delhi • 1997 'Imaging Gandhi', Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1996 'Female Nudes', Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1994 'Mirror Images', Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1993 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1993 'Heads', Sakshi Gallery, Bangalore • 1992 Art Heritage, New Delhi • 1992 Sanskriti Art Gallery, Kolkata • 1988 Art Heritage, New Delhi and Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1986 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1980 Retrospective of works organised by Art Heritage, New Delhi and Mumbai • 1981 Urja Gallery, Baroda • 1975 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1974 'Metascapes', Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1972 'Metascapes', Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1967 Museum of Contemporary Art, Montreal • 1963 Gallery '63, New York • 1962 Kunika Chemould Art Centre, New Delhi • 1960 Painting in Grey, Gallery '59, Mumbai • 1957 Galerie de Ventadour, France • 1954 Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1953 Gallery Raymond Creure, Paris • 1952 Galerie Saint Placide, Paris ==Selected group exhibitions==

• 2010 'The Progressives & Associates', Grosvenor Gallery, London • 2010 'Masters of Maharashtra', collection from Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi at Piramal Gallery, National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai • 2010 'Master's Corner', organised by Indian Contemporary Art Journal at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; India International Art Fair, New Delhi • 2010 'Manifestations IV', Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi • 2010 'From Miniature to Modern: Traditions in Transition', Rob Dean Art, London in association with Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2010 'Figure/Landscape – Part One', Aicon Gallery, New York • 2010 'Contemporary Printmaking In India', presented by Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2010 'Black is Beautiful', India Fine Art, Mumbai • 2010 'Black and White', Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai • 2010 'Art Celebrates 2010', represented by Gallery Threshold at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi to coincide with the hosting of the Commonwealth Games • 2009 'Think Small', Art Alive Art Gallery, New Delhi • 2009 'Sacred and Secular', India Fine Art, Mumbai • 2009 'Progressive to Altermodern: 62 Years of Indian Modern Art', Grosvenor Gallery, London • 2009 'Miniature Format Show 2009 – IInd Part', Sans Tache Gallery, Mumbai • 2009 'Indian Art After Independence: Selected Works from the Collections of Virginia & Ravi Akhoury and Shelley & Donald Rubin', Emile Lowe Gallery, Hempstead • 2009 'Bharat Ratna! Jewels of Modern Indian Art', Museum of Fine Arts, Boston • 2008–09 'Expanding Horizons: Contemporary Indian Art’, Traveling Exhibition presented by Bodhi Art at Ravinder Natya Mandir, P.L. Despande Kala Academy Art Gallery, Mumbai; Sant Dyaneshwar Natya Sankul Art Gallery, Amravati; Platinum Jubilee Hall, Nagpur; Tapadia Natya Mandir Sports Hall, Aurangabad; Hirachand Nemchand Vachanalay's, Solapur; Acharya Vidyanand Sanskrutik Bhavan, Kolhapur; PGSR Sabhagriha, SNDT, Pune; Sarvajanik Vachanalaya Hall, Nasik • 2008 'Harvest 2008', organised by Arushi Arts at The Stainless Gallery, New Delhi • 2008 'Faces', Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2008 ‘The Miniature Format Show – Part I’, Sans Tache, Mumbai • 2008 ‘Freedom 2008 – Sixty Years of Indian Independence’, Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata • 2007–08 ‘India Art Now: Between Continuity and Transformation’, Province of Milan, Milan, Italy • 2007 ‘Winter Show’, Aicon Gallery, Palo Alto • 2006 'Drawing Show an Act of Art II', Priyasri Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2006 Centre for International Modern Art (CIMA) Gallery, Kolkata • 2006 ‘Shadow Lines’, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi • 2005 Gallery Threshold, New Delhi • 2005 Contemporary Indian Art, Nehru Center, London • 2005 ‘Visions of Landscape’, Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2004 Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2004 ‘Concept and Form’, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi • 2004 ‘Anticipations’, Fine Arts Resource, Mumbai • 2002 'Words and Images', Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2002 Saffronart and Pundole Gallery, New York • 2001 Saffronart and Pundole Gallery, New York • 2001 'Engendering Images of a Woman', Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai • 2000 'Rare Collection' Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1999 'Creative Process', Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1998 'Drawings', Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1997 Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1997 ’50 Years of Indian Art’, Mohile Parikh Centre for Visual Arts (MPCVA), Mumbai • 1996 ‘Modern & Contemporary Paintings: One Hundred Years’, London • 1995 Indian Contemporary Paintings, London • 1994 ‘Mirror-Image Series’, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1993 Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai • 1993 Reflections & Images, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1992 Sanskrit Art Gallery, Kolkata • 1992 Group Show with Laxman Shreshtha & Jogen Chowdhury, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1991 ‘State of the Art’ First Computer Art Show in Mumbai, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1991 ‘National Exhibition of Contemporary Art’, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi • 1990 Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1989 'Timeless Art', Mumbai • 1988 Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1987 Festival of India in USS.R, Moscow • 1985 Indian Artists in France • 1985 'Artistes Indiens en France' Foundation Nationale des Arts Graphiques et Plastiques, Paris • 1984 Contemporary Indian Painters, Raj Bhavan, Mumbai. Organized by Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1982 'Contemporary Indian Art', Festival of India, Royal Academy of Art, London • 1981 Indian Painting Today, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai • 1981 'India: Myth & Reality – Aspects of Modern Indian Art’ Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Oxford • 1979 ‘Focus’, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai • 1968 Indian Triennale, New Delhi • 1963 Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy • 1963 Gallery '63, New York • 1963 3rd Paris Biennale, Paris • 1961 2nd Paris Biennale, Paris • 1959 Tokyo Biennale, Japan • 1959 São Paulo Biennale, Brazil • 1958 ‘Seven Indian Painters’, Gallery One, London • 1955 Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy • 1953 Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy • 1953 Galerie Raymond Creuse, Paris • 1952 Galerie Saint – Placide, Paris Participations ==Honours and awards==

• 2004 - Lalit Kala Ratna, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi • 1997–98 - Kalidas Samman by the Madhya Pradesh Government • 1969 - Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship • 1967 - Artist in Residence, Stout State University, Wisconsin • 1965 - J.D. Rockefeller IIIrd Fund, Fellowship ==Further reading==