Vasudeo S. Gaitonde Biography 
Vasudeo S. Gaitonde was a great artist and painter from Nagpur, Maharashtra. He was of Goan origin. Gaitonde is widely regarded as one of the great names in India’s abstract painting. He took art diploma at Sir J. J. School of Art in 1948 and later became a part of Bombay Progressive Artists' Group and was associated with the movement of Abstract Expressionism. Government of India honoured him with Padma Sri in 1971. Rockefeller Fellowship in 1964 and Kalidas Samman by Government of Madhya Pradesh in 1989–90 are the other major honours received by him. He received Young Asian Artists Award, Tokyo in 1957 and Silver Medal from Bombay Art Society in 1950.
Gaitonde was born in 1924 in Nagpur. After completing diploma course from Sir J. J. School of Art in 1948, he became one of the foremost propellants in abstract painting in the post-independent period. He did not subscribe to the theory of markets or known genres. By the early 1960s he has already moved to abstract painting. He didn’t prefer to work under pressure and wondered why artists work in anxiety. He relaxed and waited, and then applied colours, which he feels that he was not working.
When he was awarded John D Rockefeller Fund fellowship in 1964, he stayed in New York for a year. Paul Klee and Mark Rothko were his inspirations. He was an active member of Progressive Artists Group of Bombay since post-independent period which included doyens of art like Francis Newton Souza and S. H. Raza and M. F. Husain. Apart from exhibitions conducted in India, he was a group member of exhibitions held at the Graham Art Gallery, New York, in 1959 and 1963. He lived in Nizamuddin East area of Delhi during his last years and was active in his work till his death in 2001.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 26, 2016
