This is an archive article published on July 27, 2020

‘Gandhiji made me famous’

Who is Gautam Pal, who has sculpted over 50 statues of Gandhi across the world and is in news for his works vandalised during the #BlackLivesMatter protests?

5 min readNew DelhiJul 27, 2020 07:10 PM IST

Gautam Pal’s works on Gandhiji have travelled the world. (Source: Gautam Pal – Studio di Scultura)

Earlier this month, when US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun re-inaugurated the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Washington DC, artist Gautam Pal was relieved. The sculptor had been anxious since he read news reports on the vandalization of the bronze statue with graffiti and spray paint last month, during the nationwide protests against the custodial killing of African-American George Floyd. Since then, he has been keeping a lookout for related statements, hoping that protection to his sculpture will be ensured. “I immediately called the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (that had commissioned the statue). They said it was being looked into and will let me know if there is a lot of damage and I am required,” says the Kolkata-based artist. He distinctly recalls his 2000 trip to the US Capital for the inauguration of the 8-ft 8-inch tall statue. “President Clinton told me how magnificent it was,” he says.

At 70, the sculptor has made more than 50 commissioned statues of Gandhi for the Government of India, installed across the world, including Edinburgh, Yangon, Lisbon, Santiago, Bogota, Panama and Naples. “Gandhiji made me famous. I feel very honoured that my work is representing India through him,” he says, adding, “He popularised ahimsa world over and we should rely on his ideals at a time like now.”

Statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Washington. (Source: Gautam Pal – Studio di Scultura)

The thoughts have particularly preoccupied him in recent weeks, when Gandhi statues are being vandalised by #BlackLivesMatter protesters who are denouncing him as “racist”, deploring his derogatory views towards native Africans. There are several pleas for the removal of his statues across the world, including Amsterdam, California and Ottawa. While in December 2018, a Gandhi statue was removed from the University of Ghana after protests by students and staff, the recent petitions are part of a global movement questioning the appropriateness of certain statues and commemorations to protest racial inequality. This includes Italian navigator and coloniser Christopher Columbus’ statue that was taken down in California and the the statue of former US President Theodore Roosevelt at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

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A document noting the details of the statue in 1999. (Source: Gautam Pal – Studio di Scultura)

Even as Pal completes one more Gandhi bronze – a Dandi March sculpture that will travel to Georgia, as part of a commission of eight statues that he received last year to commemorate the national leader’s 150th birth anniversary – another statue by him had become the centre of attention. An online petition titled ‘Remove the Gandhi Statue in Leicester’ sought the removal of Pal’s 2006 Gandhi sculpture in the city, alleging that Gandhi was a “fascist, racist and sexual predator”. A counter petition “Save the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Leicester” was thereafter launched on Change.org. The mayor of Leicester has now promised to protect the statue. “This sort of vandalism should not take place. The statue should not be removed,” says Pal.

Born in Krishnanagar in West Bengal, the artist grew up observing and assisting his father Kartick Chandra Pal design marble sculptures, and clay models that the city is famous for. He recalls making a Gandhi clay model with charkha when he was 14. “I have loved and respected Gandhiji since my childhood,” he says. A diploma holder in art from Government College of Art and Craft in Kolkata, Pal completed his art studies at Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan. After returning to India in 1974, he visited Delhi in 1987 with the desire to create commissioned works for the Government of India. Success came when his design for a Gandhi statue for Moscow was chosen from 20 submissions by the Ministry of Culture in 1988. “It has been a long journey. There are many good sculptors but I am happy that several of my submissions have been sanctioned… I really admire Ram Sutar. He has made many more works than me. When I began making these sculptures, I always felt I had to distinguish my work from his, only then would I get a chance. I try to make realistic work,” says Pal, who has also developed a sculpture garden in Krishnanagar.

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Mahatma Gandhi reading Bhagavad Gita. (Source: Gautam Pal – Studio di Scultura)

While he notes that the selectors usually prefer “Gandhi walking with his stick”, over the years, he has attempted to experiment with other postures, including a statue of Gandhi reading the Bhagavad Gita, installed in Geneva. The references come from the numerous books on Gandhi that Pal has in his library. “I often read about him and his thoughts. Every time, I attempt to showcase his determination, firmness and steady movement,” he says. Among his 120 statues world over are also sculptures of Swami Vivekananda, Kasturba Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, among others. Several of his works are also in the Indian Parliament, including a statue of freedom fighter Shaheed Durga Malla, a sitting statue of Rabindranath Tagore reading a book and of Mahatma Gandhi.

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Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More

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