S. G. Thakur Singh Biography 
S. G. Thakur Singh was an acclaimed artist and painter from Amritsar, Punjab. He used oils, pastels and water color for his paintings. He was an active member of executive board of National Academy of Arts from 1959 to 1975. In 1928 he was chosen as President of Indian Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar and remained in that position till his death in 1976. He received award of Padma Shri in 1973. He has done many portrays. But it is his landscapes which made him a popular painter. He has received the royal status of “State Artist” of various princely states like Kapurthala, Bhopal, Patiala, Bikaner, Kotah and Malerkotla, during the rule of Maharajas. Many of his paintings are exhibited in many art museums, galleries, government offices as well as Rashtrapati Bhawan.
He was born in a small village Verka, near Amritsar Punjab. His initial training in art was given by Mohammed Alam, his school teacher. After intermediate, he was forced to join Engineering course by his parents. He joined Victoria Diamond Hindu Technical Institute, Lahore to pursue engineering, but discontinued his studies and returned to his village after two years. Again he sought help from his school teacher who invited him to come to Mumbai. His teacher also helped him to secure a job as a scene-painter in a Mumbai theatre. During this time, apart from his theatre work, he also did paintings on personal interest.
At the age of 18, he got his first recognition. His painting on landscape at Chowpati Beach, Mumbai won him first prize of 500 rupees in an exhibition of the Simla Fine Arts Society. After that he continued with his work and later moved to Kolkata, where he worked with Madan Theatre as a scene painter. Singh moved back to Amritsar in 1931 and founded the Thakur Singh School of Art.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 15, 2014
