Jyoti Bhatt

Born in 1934 in Gujarat, Jyoti Bhatt is one of the foremost contemporary artists of India. A painter, printmaker, photographer and educator from M S University, Baroda, Bhatt has been instrumental in shaping the South Asian art discourse from the early 50s. In 1956, he forefronted the Baroda Group of Artists and in 1959, he joined his alma mater as a lecturer in the Faculty of Fine Arts.

In the early 1960s, Bhatt pursued further studies in Europe and the United States, attending the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples, Italy on a government scholarship and later under the Fulbright Scholarship and John D. Rockefeller III Fund at the Pratt Institute and Pratt Graphic Art Center, New York. In 1965, Bhatt married Jyotsna Bhatt, nee Shroff, Indian modernist ceramist and potter.

A keen experimenter, Bhatt’s early works reflected the influence of cubism, later shifting to pop-art imagery, to finally arrive at a style inspired by traditional folk designs. Though Bhatt worked in a variety of mediums including watercolours and oils, it was his printmaking that garnered him the most attention. In the late 1960s, Bhatt began the photo documentation of traditional and folk Indian craft and design which later evolved into a central and enduring focus in his life long practice.

Humble and humorous, even at the age of 92, Jyoti Bhatt continues to create art, experimenting with forms, motifs and mediums often revisiting his earlier creations. A true master, the rigour and openness with which he authors his works are and have always been awe-inspiring.

Jyoti Bhatt has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including the President’s Gold Plaque for his painting Krishna-Lila (1956); a Gold Medal at the Third International Print Biennale, Florence (1972); first prize for the design of a commemorative postage stamp marking the 25th anniversary of Indian Independence; the World Photo Contest Winner by Fotokina, Germany (1978); the Gaurav Puraskar from the Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi (1996); the Lifetime Achievement Award – Distinguished Photo Artist Award from the Academy of Visual Media, New Delhi (2005); and the Padma Shri from the Government of India (2019).