Ram Kumar, Untitled, 2004

Acrylic on paper
55 x 74 cm (visible), 73 x 93 x 3.5 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good, with minor undulations on the paper
Certificate of Authenticity available

-

Ram Kumar (Indian, b.1924 - 2018) is one of India's most prolific abstract painters. He was born in the state of Himachal Pradesh, and took classes at the Sharda Ukil School of Art and proceeded to study art further in Paris, where he joined the French Communist Party. Kumar moved away from the figurative painting style of his early years as he became progressively disillusioned with India's state of affairs after returning home. 

His visit to the holy city of Varanasi, regarded by Hindus as a place where death leads to liberation rather than rebirth, profoundly influenced his artistic evolution. This spiritual belief is mirrored in his shift from figuration to abstraction, with his work becoming defined by simple, abstracted compositions inspired by Varanasi and the landscapes of his childhood. Over time, the city itself—particularly its dilapidated, overcrowded houses—came to symbolise a sense of hopelessness in his art. His increasingly abstract works, characterised by sweeping brushstrokes, evoke both the exultation of natural spaces and, more recently, a growing undercurrent of violence within human environments.

Kumar received the Padma Bushan, India's third highest civilian honour, in 2010.

Acquired from Gallery Pioneer, New Delhi, India

(Photographed in January 2025)