India's rich and diverse art heritage spans over thousands of years. Indian artists have contributed to the global art world in a variety of ways, from ancient sculptures to mixed media artworks. This is a list of the 100 greatest Indian fine artists, sorted by various categories, such as painting and sculpture.
25 Famous Indian Artists in The Painting Genre
- Raja Ravi Varma Known as the father modern Indian art, Varma’s paintings blend Indian mythology and European academic art techniques beautifully.
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Amrita Sher Gil
Sher-Gil is often called India's Frida Káhlo. Her bold, emotive and powerful paintings capture Indian culture and people. -
Maqbool Fida Husain (M.F. Husain)
Husain is known as the Picasso in India. His vibrant, dynamic paintings explore Indian mythology and culture with a modernist touch. -
Jamini Roy
Roy's artwork is marked by its bold lines and vibrant colors. It draws inspiration from Bengali Folk Art and traditional Indian themes. -
Syed Haider Raza Raza)
Raza’s work is known for its vibrant geometric patterns, spiritual themes and blending Indian concepts with Western Modernism. -
Tyeb Mehta
Mehta’s powerful, minimalist paintings depict themes such as human suffering and struggles using bold colors and stark lines. -
Ganesh Pyne
Pyne’s dark, mysterious, and often mythological works explore the depths and mysteries of the human mind. -
V.S. Gaitonde
Abstract paintings by Gaitonde are praised for their meditative qualities and mastery of form and color. -
Rameshwar Broota
Broota is known for his unique technique, which involves layering and scraping the paint. His works are an exploration of fragility in human existence. -
Subodh gupta
Gupta uses everyday objects in his contemporary work to comment on the socio-economic change that has taken place in India. -
Jogen Chowdhury
Chowdhury is known for his intricate detail and exploration of emotions in human beings. -
Francis Newton Souza
Souza is a founding member of the Progressive Artists' Group. His works are renowned for their bold and provocative themes. -
Akbar Padamsee
Padamsee's diverse oeuvre includes painting, photography and digital art. -
Nandalal BOSE
Bose is a pioneer of modern Indian Art. His works are heavily influenced by Indian mythology, rural life, folklore and Indian folklore. -
K.G. Subramanyan
Subramanyan’s art is known for its vibrant and playful style. It often incorporates traditional Indian motifs. -
Ram Kumar
Kumar's abstract landscapes, figurative paintings and works that reflect his deep connection to nature and human emotions. -
Manjit Bawa
Bawa's colorful paintings depict Indian deities, animals, and animals, often in a simplified but evocative manner. -
Bhupen Khakhar
Khakhar's autobiographical works explore sexuality, identity and the daily lives of ordinary people. -
Arpita Sing
Singh's colorful, intricate paintings show the complexity of Indian women's lives. -
Nalini Malani
Malani is a pioneer of experimental art. His multimedia works deal with social, political and feminist issues. -
Sakti Burman
Burman's paintings are a blend of fantasy and reality that draw inspiration from Indian and European traditions. -
Sudhir Patwardhan
Patwardhan's paintings often portray the urban landscape as well as the everyday lives of people, with a strong sense of social reality. -
Anjolie Menon
Menon's lyrical and haunting paintings explore themes such as memory, nostalgia and the human condition. -
Gieve patel
Patel's work, which focuses on the urban environment and the body, reflects his social conscience and deep empathy. -
Jitish Kallat
Kallat's varied body of work, which includes painting, sculpture and installation, often deals with themes of memory, history and identity.
20 Most Famous Sculptors from India
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Ramkinkar Baij
Baij is a pioneer in modern Indian sculpture. His works are notable for their dynamic, bold forms, and the integration of tribal elements and folk elements. -
Meera Mukherjee
Mukherjee’s sculptures are known for their cultural and unique style. They often show everyday life or traditional crafts. -
Dhanraj Bhagat
Bhagat’s semi-abstract and abstract sculptures are well known for their innovative uses of materials and shapes. -
Prodosh Das Gupta
Das Gupta is a prominent modernist sculpture. His works explore the human body in a lyrical, expressive style. -
P.V. Janakiram
Janakiram’s sculptures are renowned for their simplicity, elegant, and connection to Indian mythology. -
Akhilesh Kumar
Kumar's contemporary works often deal with themes such as nature, spirituality and human condition. -
Arpita Sing
Singh's paintings and sculptures often take a playful but profound approach to exploring the complexity of women's life. -
Mrinalini Mukherjee
Mukherjee’s large-scale fibre sculptures are celebrated by their organic forms and innovative materials. -
Himmat Shah
Shah's minimalist works often use a variety materials to explore themes such as spirituality and abstraction. -
Amarnath Sehgal
Sehgal’s sculptures are noted for their expressive forms, and deep connection with Indian culture and heritage. -
Raghav Kaneria
Kaneria's abstract and minimalist sculptures explore the relationship between form and space. -
Shilpa Gupta
Gupta’s contemporary sculptures, installations, and performances often tackle social, cultural, and political issues in a provocative way. -
Sudarshan Shetty
Shetty's sculptures are renowned for their innovative materials and conceptual depth. -
Subodh gupta
Gupta’s large-scale, often everyday-object-based sculptures reflect the socioeconomic changes in India. -
Anish Kaoor
Kapoor is an internationally recognized sculptor who is known for his massive and immersive works which explore form, space and perception. -
Ravinder Reddy
Reddy's vibrantly colored and larger-than life sculptures depict female forms with a mixture of traditional and modern influences. -
Ramesh Paeria
Pateria's sculptures have been praised for their attention to detail and exploration of Indian themes. -
Riyas Komu
Komu's installations and sculptures often tackle social and political issues in a provocative and bold manner. -
Adwaita Gadanayak
Gadanayak's massive sculptures are often inspired by Indian mythology, history and a fusion of traditional and modern styles. -
S. Nandagopal
Nandagopal’s sculptures are renowned for their exquisite detailing and integration with traditional Indian forms and motifs.
Top 10 Famous Indian Drawing Artists
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Lalu Prasad Shaw
Shaw's delicate drawings depict the everyday life of Bengal in a detailed and delicate manner. -
A. Ramachandran
Ramachandran’s drawings are often vibrant and expressive, and explore Indian mythology, folklore, and culture. -
Suhas Roy
Roy's ethereal illustrations often portray the female form in a way that is full of grace and spirituality. -
Jogen Chowdhury
Chowdhury’s detailed drawings explore the human condition and emotions with an eye for detail. -
Ganesh Pyne
Pyne’s mysterious and dark drawings are often based on themes from mythology or the human psyche. -
K.G. Subramanyan
Subramanyan’s vibrant and playful drawings incorporate many traditional Indian motifs. -
Bhupen Khakhar
Khakhar’s autobiographical illustrations often explore themes such as sexuality, identity and everyday life in a bold, expressive style. -
Nandalal BOSE
Bose’s detailed and delicate drawings depict Indian mythology, rural life, and folklore with a beautiful sense of grace. -
Manjit Bawa
Bawa's simple yet expressive drawings depict Indian deities, animals, and gods in a vivid and expressive manner. -
Rameshwar Broota
Broota’s detailed and meticulous drawings explore the fragility of the human form.
Top 20 Mixed Media Artists
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Nalini Malani
Malani is a pioneer of experimental art. His multimedia works often deal with social, political and feminist issues. -
Anish Kaoor
Kapoor’s mixed-media works, much like his sculptures explore form, perception, and space with a conceptual approach. -
Jitish Kallat
Kallat's varied body of work, which includes mixed media installations and historical themes, is often centered around memory, identity, and history. -
Subodh gupta
Gupta uses everyday objects in his mixed-media works to comment on the socio-economic changes that are taking place in India. -
Shilpa Gupta
Gupta’s mixed-media installations are often thought-provoking, innovative, and address social, cultural, and political issues. -
Sudhir Patwardhan
Patwardhan's mixed-media works depict urban landscapes and ordinary lives with a keen social realism. -
Gieve patel
Patel's mixed-media works, like his paintings and drawings, are often centered on the body of man and urban life. They reflect his empathy and social conscience. -
Arpita Sing
Singh's mixed-media works, much like her paintings explore the complexities and nuances of women's life with a playful but profound approach. -
Sakti Burman
Burman's mixed-media works blend myth, fantasy and reality and are inspired by both Indian and European tradition. -
Ravinder Reddy
Reddy's mixed-media works, much like his sculptures depict the female body with a mixture of traditional and modern influences. -
Riyas Komu
Komu's installations are often bold and provocative, addressing social-political topics. -
Sudarshan Shetty
Shetty's mixed-media works are known for the conceptual depth of their work and their innovative use materials. -
Anjolie Menon
Menon's mixed-media works, as well as her paintings, explore themes such as memory, nostalgia and the human condition. -
Atul Dodiya
Dodiya’s mixed-media works blend historical and personal narratives, often with a sharp sense of irony. -
Mithu SEN
Sen's mixed-media works explore themes such as sexuality, body image, and identity with an experimental and provocative approach. -
Vivan Sundaram
Sundaram's mixed-media works are often innovative and thought-provoking, addressing social, political and historical issues. -
N.S. Harsha
Harsha's works in mixed media often combine traditional Indian themes with contemporary themes and stories. -
G.R. Iranna
Iranna's mixed-media works explore spirituality, identitiy, and human condition themes with a contemplative and meditative approach. -
Baiju Parthan
Parthan's mixed-media works blend Indian themes and contemporary digital concepts. -
Ranbir Kaeka
Kaleka’s mixed-media works explore themes such as memory, identity, history and poetry with an evocative and poetic approach.
25 Up and Coming Modern and Contemporary Artists
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T.V. Santosh
Santosh’s contemporary works frequently address themes such as violence, war and global politics, with a powerful, provocative approach. -
Raqib Raqib
Shaw's intricate, opulent and surrealistic works blend Eastern and Western arts traditions in a fantastical and surreal style. -
Chintan Upadhyay
Upadhyay explores themes such as globalization, consumerism and identity in his contemporary works with an innovative and bold approach. -
Gauri Gill
Gill's mixed-media works and photography often portray the lives of India's marginalized communities with a sensitive, empathetic and compassionate approach. -
Bharti Kher
Kher's works of the present often explore themes such as gender, identity, and mythology, using a bold, experimental approach. -
Rekha rodwittiya
Rodwittiya’s contemporary work explores themes such as femininity, body image, and identity in a vibrant, expressive style. -
Sarnath Banerjee
Banerjee’s graphic novels, mixed media and other works blend historical and personal narratives with humor and wit. -
Rina Banerjee
Banerjee’s works are eclectic and vibrant, often exploring themes such as migration, globalization, and identity. -
Shibu Natesan
Natesan's works of the present often combine realism, surrealism, and a contemplative and meditative approach. -
Jitish Kallat
Kallat's diverse work, which includes contemporary paintings and mixed-media installations, often deals with themes of memory, history, and identity. -
Gigi scaria
Scaria’s contemporary works explore themes such as urbanization, displacement and identity in a provocative and innovative way. -
Prajakta potnis
Potnis’s contemporary works address themes such as domesticity, identity and the body in a subtle, nuanced way. -
Sudarshan Shetty
Shetty's modern works, which include mixed media installations, are well-known for their conceptual depth, innovative use of materials, and inventive use of mediums. -
Nikhil Chopra
Chopra's mixed media and performance art works explore themes such as identity, memory, and history with a poetic, evocative style. -
Raqs Media Collection
Raqs Media Collective’s contemporary works address themes such as time, history and social change, using a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach. -
Tushar Joag
Joag’s contemporary works address social and political topics with a bold, provocative approach. -
L.N. Tallur
Tallur's works of the present day explore traditional themes, modernity and globalization, often with a playful, experimental approach. -
Bose Krishnamachari
Krishnamachari's recent works, which include painting and installations, frequently address themes such as urbanization, consumerism and identity. -
Rohini Devasher
Devasher's modern works blend science, technology, and art with a contemplative and meditative approach. -
Gigi scaria
Scaria’s contemporary works explore themes such as urbanization, displacement and identity in a provocative and innovative way. - T.V. Santhosh
Santhosh’s contemporary works frequently address themes such as violence, war and global politics, with a powerful, provocative approach. -
Ranbir Kaeka
Kaleka’s contemporary work, which includes painting and installation works, explores themes such as memory, identity, and history with a poetic, evocative style. -
Mithu SEN
Sen's works of the present day often take a provocative, experimental approach to themes such as sexuality, body image, and identity. -
Shakuntala Kulkarni
Kulkarni’s contemporary works address themes such as gender, identity and the body in a bold, innovative way. -
Kiran Nadar
Nadar's works of the present, such as his paintings and installations, are often sensitive and empathic in their treatment of themes like identity, memory and history.
Their unique styles, innovative technique, and deep thematic explorations have contributed significantly to the Indian and international art scene. Their work continues to inspire and influence artists and art lovers around the world.
