Jogen Chowdhury

Jogen Chowdhury (b. 1939, Faridpur, Bengal, now Bangladesh) is one of India’s most influential modern and contemporary artists. He lives and works in Santiniketan and has been closely associated with Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, where he has also played an important role as an artist, teacher and mentor.

Chowdhury graduated from the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, in 1960 and subsequently travelled to Paris on a French Government scholarship, studying at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and Atelier 17 between 1965 and 1967. His career has since spanned more than six decades, with extensive exhibitions in India and internationally.

Alongside his artistic practice, Chowdhury has held significant positions in the Indian art world and has contributed extensively to the teaching and development of contemporary Indian art. His work has been presented at major institutions and exhibitions across Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, New York, Singapore and Japan, as well as at leading Indian museums and galleries.

Kalakriti Art Gallery has had a longstanding association with Chowdhury’s work. In 2008, Kalakriti presented A Calligraphy of Touch and Gaze at ICIA, Mumbai, and in 2016 the gallery presented Jogen Chowdhury Retrospective 1955-2013 in Hyderabad. These exhibitions form an important part of Kalakriti’s engagement with the artist’s practice.

Chowdhury’s work is held in significant public and private collections in India and abroad, including the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi and Bengaluru, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Singapore Art Museum, Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan, and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi. Among his many honours are the Prix Le Franc de la Jeune Peinture, Paris (1966), Kalidas Samman (2001), an Honorary D.Litt. from Rabindra Bharati University (2007), and the Banga Bibhushan from the Government of West Bengal (2012).