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| Museum on the Wheels, solo exhibition of Prof. Sukhvir Sangha | | 
Srinagar, November 12 (Scoop News)-The Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, unveiled Museum on the Wheels, a remarkable solo exhibition celebrating the artistic legacy of Prof. Sukhvir Sanghal (1914–2006), one of India’s pioneering masters of the Bengal School. Curated by his granddaughter, Priyam Chandra, the exhibition opened on Thursday evening at Galleries 1 & 2 of the Lalit Kala Akademi, 35 Ferozeshah Road, Mandi House, New Delhi, and will remain on view till November 12, 2025. The inauguration ceremony was graced by Dr. Sanjeev Kishore Gautam, Director General, National Gallery of Modern Art; Dr. Nand Lal Thakur, Vice Chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi; Dr. Alka Pande, Art Historian and Museum Curator; and Mr. Prashant Bhushan, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court and an ardent art lover. Mr. Bhushan, who attended the opening with deep nostalgia, remarked, “It was an immense pleasure to revisit this ‘museum’ of my mother’s art teacher, Shri Sukhvir Sanghal, who, in my view, was one of the greatest artists of the 20th century and among the three finest wash painters India has produced. Unfortunately, his contributions remain inadequately recognized.” Also present were Rajesh Jaiswal, Dr. Stuti Singhal, Ritam Chandra, and Puneet Gera, among other guests from the art and academic fraternity.
The exhibition brings together a rare collection of forty-five paintings and tapestries that trace Prof. Sanghal’s artistic and spiritual journey across India’s cultural landscape. Featuring works from his acclaimed series River of Life, Phases of Life, Marriage, Arjuna as an Ideal Man, Indian Life, Ramcharit, and Kashmir Landscapes, the show reflects his deep engagement with Indian philosophy and aesthetics. His exquisite tapestries, embroidered on khadi, stand as a testament to his innovative craftsmanship that transformed humble fabric into high art. While widely recognized for his mastery of the wash technique, Prof. Sanghal also experimented with watercolour on wood and silk, sculpture, embroidery, and fine art on leather, each revealing his versatile command over form and medium.
Born in 1914 in Muzaffarnagar, Prof. Sukhvir Sanghal was not only a visionary artist but also a freedom fighter, teacher, and philosopher. A graduate of the Government School of Arts and Crafts, Lucknow, where he later served as Principal until 1973, he founded Kala Bharti in Prayagraj in 1938—an institution devoted to Fine Arts, Classical Music, and Dance. He mentored generations of artists and dignitaries, including Indira Gandhi and Vishwanath Pratap Singh, and was deeply influenced by A.K. Halder and Abanindranath Tagore. His scholarly works, Bhartiya Chitrakala Paddhati and Evolution of Art and Artist, continue to inform contemporary art education.
Prof. Sanghal received numerous national recognitions from the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, the Bombay Art Society, and the Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta. His painting Thou Art Dust, to Dust Returnest was acquired for the Royal Collection by Emperor George V, and in 1942, at the request of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, he designed Indira Gandhi’s wedding invitation, earning wide acclaim. Even after his passing in 2006, his influence endures through retrospectives, publications, and commemorations, including the naming of Prof. Sukhvir Sanghal Marg in Lucknow.
Through Museum on the Wheels, Lalit Kala Akademi and curator Priyam Chandra pay tribute to an artist whose vision of art as a living embodiment of India’s cultural and spiritual identity continues to inspire generations. The exhibition reaffirms Prof. Sanghal’s belief that art transcends boundaries, carrying with it the timeless soul of a civilization that still speaks to the human spirit today.
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