SN Bakre

Born in Vadodara, Gujarat, Sada Nand Bakre was one of the founder members of the Progressive Artists’ Group in Bombay. The group was geared towards cultivating a contemporary language in art that related to the significance of its time. Arriving in Mumbai in 1929, he obtained a diploma in modelling and stone carving from Sir J. J. School of Art.

As a student, Bakre was a much feted and recognised artist: he received a scholarship during his art study at the Sir J. J. School of art, won the first prize for sculpture from Bombay Art Society in 1942 and the Lord Harding Scholarship in 1944.

His canvases are prominently executed in a sculptural manner depicting geometrical grids and abstracted human forms in a two-dimensional pattern. The bold, bright and vivid colours are used to highlight the contrast of straight and curved lines, creating a sculptural effect. The artist’s preoccupation with abstraction was inspired by Paul Klee’s lyricism and Picasso’s de-structuring of form.

Numerous key galleries and museums such as Asia Society and Museum, New York have featured Sadanand K. Bakre’s work in the past.

The artist died in 2007.