Manu Parekh

Born in 1939 in Ahmedabad, Manu Parekh completed a Diploma in Drawing and Painting from the Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, in 1962. Parekh’s early work explored the relationships between man and nature. 

He is known for his surrealist landscapes. His paintings evoke intense emotions. Vivid colours and prominent lines are an inseparable part of Parekh’s creations. His works exude a vibrant energy that breaks the confines of his canvases. Polemics have always been of peculiar interest to Parekh. His works have always provoked the viewer to take a closer look at the world around them through a lens of emotion, pain and anguish. One of his most evocative series has been an ode to Varanasi, a city he visited after his father’s death.

Parekh draws inspiration from his surroundings. He is influenced by the old masters of Indian art, Ramkinkar Baij and Rabindranath Tagore. Banaras as a city became the major source of inspiration in Parekh’s work after his first visit there following his father’s death.

Parekh was awarded the President of India's Silver Plaque and the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society Award, New Delhi, in 1972; the National Award from the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, in 1982; and the Padma Shree from the Government of India in 1992.

The artist lives and works in New Delhi.

His exhibit with us is titled Banaras in Five Elements which is an acrylic on canvas made in 2021.