Anjolie Ela Menon Biography 
Anjolie Ela Menon is one of India's leading contemporary female artists from West Bengal. In 2006, her major work "Yatra" was acquired by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, California. She is married to her childhood love, Raja Menon, an Indian Navy officer, who later retired as an Admiral. She is also a well-known muralist and has represented India at several exhibitions. For her contributions to the field of art, Indian government has honoured her with Padma Shri in the year 2000. She has also received Lifetime achievement award 2013 by government of NCT of Delhi and her name is included in The Limca book of Records also.
She belongs to West Bengal and was born in the year 1940. Her schooling was done at Tamil Nadu in Lawrence School, Lovedale, Nilgiri Hills. Before the completion of schooling she has already started painting and sold a few works as well. She studied at Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai for a short period and graduated in English from Miranda House, Delhi University. She got influenced by the works of M F Husain, Modigliani and Amrita Shergil during this period. Her first solo exhibition was conducted when she was 18 and it consisted of 53 paintings. It enabled her to get a French Government scholarship to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. She learnt Romanesque and Byzantine art through her tours in Europe during this time.
Once she returned, she got married to her childhood friend, Raja Menon. After marriage, she has worked in many countries like USSR, Japan, USA and many countries of Europe. She disapproves of reading only symbolism in her art. Menon has also been honoured with a six month solo show at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, featuring her masterpiece work, ‘Yatra’ in 2006.
Published: N/A
Updated: January 08, 2014
