(1939 – present)

Manu Parekh was born in 1939 in Gujarat, he completed his Diploma in Drawing & Painting from the Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, in 1962. Parekh’s early work explored the relationships between man and nature, as according to him, this was an energetic link that had to be celebrated. Polemics have always intrigued Manu Parekh – the energy of the organic form and the inherent sexuality within these forms are intangible elements in his works. His paintings provoke viewers to take notice of the world around them through the emotion, pain, and anguish expressed in the subjects of his paintings.
His colors and forms exude volatile energy that can barely be contained within the confines of his canvas, and become an extension of the artist’s personality. Vivid colors and prominent lines are an integral part of Parekh’s work and each exudes the energy that he attempts to capture.

Parekh admits to being very strongly influenced by his surroundings. He was influenced by the masters of Indian art like, Ram Kinkar Baij, and Rabindranath Tagore. His appreciation of their work, more at a perceptual level than a stylistic one, urged him to delve deeper into the thoughts that inform his own. Banaras as a city came to play an integral role in Parekh’s work. This holy city of hope, faith & tourists offered him a vast number of contradictions in one location.

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 Shri from the Government of India in 1992.