Sunil Das Biography 
Sunil Das was an Indian expressionist painter from Kolkata who lived during the period, 4 August 1939 – 10 August 2015. For his overall contributions towards the field of Indian art and culture, government of India honoured him with Padma Shri in 2014, one year before his death. His Bull Series and his masterpiece work "Woman" brought him international acclaim. He has worked in India's Handloom division in Ministry of Textiles. He was the founding member of the Society of Contemporary Artists. He died of heart attack in Kolkata in 2015 one week after his 76th birthday. He used soft brown, mauve and white for the background of his paintings to create dramatic contrast with the main subjects, and most of his works have this distinct trademark.
Sunil Das was born in 1939 to a middle-class family in Kolkata. After matriculation he enrolled in the local Government College of Arts and Crafts. He graduated in 1959. He won India’s prestigious Shiromani Kala Puraskar award for arts and culture, the only artist to win this honour during his academic years. He won this award while doing his undergraduate studies. In 1961, he received a French government scholarship to study at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris for next three years. While at France he studied graphic art under artists William Hayter and Krishna Reddy. He also trained as a painter at the prestigious Académie Julian and Atelier 17.
Das’ paintings have been featured in several exhibitions. In 2008 he conducted a solo show at Kolkata’s Ganges Art gallery, one among his last exhibitions. His works have been placed at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi and many art galleries in India and abroad. He generously contributed a large portion of his savings to financially support artists in need. Bull Series, A woman in her failings (oil on canvas) and Horses in motion (charcoal) are his famous works.
Published: January 28, 2019
Updated: January 28, 2019
