Drawn to Perfection

Expressionist postmodernist Sunil Das, ‘master of the horrific in art’, passed away on Monday.

talk, Sunil Das, artist, painter, post modernist, F N Souza, indian express

Sunil Das’ themes varied from women’s emancipation to his famous bulls and horses (Photo courtesy: Aakriti Art Gallery, Delhi Art Gallery)

“His paintings are often about death and horror… (He is) a master of the horrific in art,” noted FN Souza of the work of the Bengal master Sunil Das. On Monday morning, the postmodernist expressionist, Das, breathed his last at the age of 76. Survived by his wife, the Padma Shri awardee died of cardiac arrest at his Kolkata home.

“He was very prolific, fun loving and large-hearted. He often attended exhibitions featuring works of fellow artists and was extremely popular,” recalls Vikram Bachhawat, director of Aakriti Art Gallery. His gallery in Kolkata would be exhibiting possibly the last of Das’ works — two figurative sculptures created last week — in an exhibition later this month, featuring his work alongside other members of the Society of Contemporary Artists, of which Das was a founding member. “He was not apprehensive of taking risks and always encouraged others in the group to experiment. In his recent works, he moved towards minimalism, focussing on white,” says Aditya Basak, artist and member of the Society.

Born into a middle class family, Das’ father was a businessman. Interested in art as a child, he initially joined a local art school, and later graduated from Government College of Art & Craft in Kolkata. While he canvassed for gender equality — basing several of his works on the exploitation of women and the need for emancipation — he is best known for his deft depiction of bulls and horses. “I must have done 7,000 horses between 1950 to 60,” noted the artist on his website. It was while on a French art scholarship at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in the 1960s that he travelled to Spain for a few months and reportedly developed a passion for horses and bulls. Back in India, he frequented the stable of Kolkata’s Mounted Police, where he often observed and sketched horses. “He was a genuine and warm person. With a career spanning over five decades, no one could beat him with horses and bulls, he was the number one. A thorough draughtsman, he was extremely good with drawings. Unfortunately, he did not get his due,” says Ashish Anand, director of Delhi Art Gallery that organised a retrospective of his works in 2005-2006.

Kolkata-based artist Samindranath Majumdar recalls him as an inspiration for the younger generation. “He was one of the most important artists of our time, who had the power to embrace several styles, from abstracts to collages, optical illusions to figurative. One thing common between all of this was the vigour and energy with which he painted. He was young at heart till the very end,” notes Majumdar of the master who also worked at the Department of Handloom and Textiles, Government of India. Basak adds that no one left empty-handed from Das’ home. “He supported younger artists, guided them and also
offered monetary support.”

Holding the distinction of being the only Indian artist to have won a National Award (the Shiromani Kala Puraskar) while still an undergraduate, his works are a part of important collections world over, including National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan, and Ludwig Museum in Germany.

vandana.kalra@expressindia.com

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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