Description :
Shankar B. Palsikar was born in 1917 in Bhandara, Maharashtra. He emerged as a pioneering figure in the development of modern art in Mumbai. After training under NS Bendre and supporting himself through evening classes, he graduated with a Diploma in Painting from Sir JJ School of Art in 1947. He was soon appointed as a teacher there and went on to become dean in 1968, a post he held until his retirement in 1975.
In 1950, Palsikar became the first recipient of the Government of India’s Cultural Scholarship in Fine Arts. He joined the Bombay Group of Artists in 1956, alongside K H Ara, K K Hebbar, H A Gade, D G Kulkarni, Baburao Satwelkar, B C Sanyal and Mohan Samant to champion a new modernist ethos in Indian art after the Progressive Artists' Group disbanded.
Often referred to as a ‘tantric artist’, Palsikar’s works were deeply spiritual and formally rigorous. He illustrated influential books such as Dancers with Snake (1952) and Colour and Sound (1972), and mentored a generation of iconic artists including MF Husain, Tyeb Mehta, and Akbar Padamsee.
He passed away in Mumbai in 1984. A grand retrospective at Jehangir Art Gallery the same year commemorated his enduring impact on Indian art and pedagogy.