A rare catalogue raisonné of Bhanu Athaiya’s fine art and formative years at the J.J. School of Art—spotlighting the only woman in the Progressive Artists’ Group, who redefined her artistic journey through costume design and became India’s first Oscar winner.
Oil On Canvas
She won the Usha Deshmukh Gold Medal in 1951 for the above work "Lady In Repose"
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Exhibition Display at CSMVS (Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai Gallery). From Left: Usha Deshmukh Gold Medal JJ School 1951, 1953 PAG Exhibition Catalogue, Fakir - Oil on canvas, Costumes
Watercolor on Paper
Nude Studies
JJ School Academic Studies
Pre-JJ School Sketches
The painting Two Girls Climbing is from when she was barely 8 years old. The Woman With Deers was an award-winning artwork during her high school days. Her art school teacher Shashikishore Chavan and Hima Devi (the theatre personality) encouraged her to pursue further studies in art. While at JJ School she was also working as a fashion illustrator at Eve's Weekly and Fashion & Beauty. Those are documented separately. The diversity in her art above is to be noted. She considered her costume drawings to be her art which she continued over the next six decades. She was the costume designer for over a mind-boggling 250+ films, theatre, advertisements, and other visual art forms.
References
Third and Penultimate Exhibition of the Progressives Artists Group
Book - The Progressive Revolution: Modern Art for a New India, 2018
by Zehra Jumabhoy, Boon Hui Tan, Josette Sheeran, Amal Allana, Yashodhra Dalmia
