Born in 1937 in JuniJithardi, Gujarat, Nagji Patel received an MFA in Sculpture from the M S University, Baroda. He participated in a number of exhibitions including the National Exhibition, New Delhi (1961), XII Biennial, Antwerp, Belgium (1975); Contemporary Asian Art Festival, Japan (1979 and 1990); International Festival of Art, Baghdad (1986) and the Festival of India in Tokyo, Japan (1988). Patel was the recipient of several prestigious awards including the National Award in 1961 and 1976.In 1978, Patel was appointed as the Commissioner of the IVth Triennale, New Delhi in 1978. He was also a member of the Judging Committee of the National Exhibition in 1993. Patel’s work is part of reputed collections such as those of the Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi, Bangalore and Ahmedabad; National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Museum of Fine Arts, Chandigarh; and also a number of private collections in India and abroad. Some of Patel’s sculptures are on display at such places as Corporate Office, IPCL, Vadodara; Olympic Sculpture Park, Seoul, Korea and Sculpture Park, Aji-Mure Town, Japan.Patel was influenced to a very large extent by the rural setting that he grew up in. Animals were favourite subjects for his sculptures. Patel passed away on 17 December 2017.
