Paresh Maity
Paresh Maity was born in 1965, Tamluk – a small town in West Bengal – of great antiquity with a remarkable heritage of terracotta art. While in school he made clay images of gods and goddesses and sold them to earn money for his education. He started painting watercolours of river scenes while still at school and then oil paintings thereafter. He mastered the technique of oil painting at Government College of Art, Kolkata. His single-minded determination to acquire formal training paid off when he came to Delhi to join the Delhi College of Art.
He has done series of works on almost all facets and destinations of India and then across cities and countries including London, Venice, China and Japan.
Paresh has 71 solo exhibitions to his credit held all over the world including India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, France, United Kingdom and United States of America. On the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary, an exhibition of watercolours ‘Shesh Lekha’ by Paresh Maity was organized at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi and Mumbai. His latest painting, one of the longest in the world is 800ft. on display at T3 Terminal at Indira Gandhi Airport, New Delhi.
He is the recipient of the Royal Watercolor Society Award in London, the Harmony Award in Mumbai, the Governors’ Gold Medal from Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, the Indian Society of Oriental Art, Kolkata, Pt. Ravishanker Award from College of Art in New Delhi. All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society has awarded him twice for best watercolour painting. He was awarded for outstanding painting by Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Dayawati Modi Foundation Award for achievement in the field of Art and Culture, Sera Bengali Award in Kolkata by Anand Bazar Patrika, Hall of Fame by Hello (Times of India).
His works are part of collections at British Museum in London, Rubin Museum, New York, Commonwealth Institute, London, the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, the Birla Academy of Art and Culture in Kolkata, Tata Iron & Steel Co. ITC, Oberoi Group of Hotels, Leela Hotels, Park Sheraton, RPG, Birla Group, Vatican Embassy, Noon Group, London and many other institutions and private collections all over the world.
His exhibit with us is titled Variable, made out of metal, wood and paper completed in 2021. Especially created to complement the theme of The Times Art Fest 2022, the installation creates nostalgia and takes you back in the time to witness the moments of history and evolution of the processes of art creation in India in late 18th century – the era known as Pre-modem time. The objective is to involve the viewers in the act of narration of art history by The Times of India. Viewers can make paper boats from the TOI paper sheets and add to the installation. This act of participation will create new memories when are all together flowing back in time.
