->Johnpacklambert at 14:39, 22 September 2021

2021-09-22T14:39:38Z

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{{EngvarB|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Amar Nath Sehgal
| image = 
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1922|02|05}}
| birth_place = [[Campbellpur]], [[Punjab (British India)|Punjab]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2007|12|28|1922|02|05}}
| death_place = [[New Delhi]], [[India]]
| nationality =
| other_names =
| occupation = sculptor, painter, art educator
| known_for =
}}
'''Amar Nath Sehgal''' (5 February 1922 – 28 December 2007) was a noted [[Indian people|Indian]] [[modernist]] sculptor, painter, poet and art educator. He started his career as an engineer in [[Lahore]], and later turned to art. He shifted to Delhi after [[partition of India]] in 1947, and in 1950 studied [[art education]] from [[New York University School of Education]]. Subsequently, became an art educator, teaching at [[College of Art, Delhi]], and in time a noted modern sculptor to his generation. Though he also ventured into painting, drawings and poetry.

In 1979, Amar Nath Sehgal set up his studio in the [[Grand Duchy]] of [[Luxembourg]] and lived between Luxembourg and India until his return to New Delhi in 2004. His long romance with Luxembourg goes back to 1966 when he had his first solo exhibition at the Musée National d'Histoire et d'Arts in Luxembourg-City. His iconic bronze bust sculpture of [[Mahatma Gandhi]] in the Municipal Park in Luxembourg celebrates the strong connection he had with Luxembourg. The bronze bust, a gift by the philanthropist [[Henry J. Leir]] was inaugurated on 21 June 1973 in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affaires [[Gaston Thorn]] and the Ambassador of India to Luxembourg [[K. B. Lall]]. In February 1980, the original bust was stolen and in 1982 Amar Nath Sehgal gifted a copy of the original which was inaugurated on 2 October 1982, on the 113th Anniversary of the Birth of [[Mahatma Gandhi]].

Later in life, he also became a pioneer of [[intellectual property right]]s, especially [[Moral rights (copyright law)|moral rights in copyright]] for artists in India, after he fought a [[Amar Nath Sehgal v. Union of India|13-year-long legal case]] with [[Government of India]]. A bronze mural which he created for the [[Vigyan Bhavan]], Delhi in the 1960s, was removed without his consent, during renovations in 1979. He filed the case at [[Delhi High Court]] in 1992, and the courts finally awarded him damages in 2005.

In 1986, he founded "The Creative Fund" in [[Luxembourg]] to help young artists from Luxembourg and India discover and be inspired by the rich history, the culture and the heritage of both countries.

1993, he was awarded the [[List of Lalit Kala Akademi fellows|Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship]] by the [[Lalit Kala Akademi]], India's National Academy of Art, the highest honour in the fine arts conferred by the [[Government of India]]. In 2008, he was posthumously awarded the [[Padma Bhushan]], by [[Government of India]].<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6U68ulwpb?url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 November 2014}}</ref>

==Early life and background==
Born on 5 February 1922, Sehgal was originally from [[Campbellpur]] ([[Attock]]), in North [[Punjab, British India|Punjab]] (now in Pakistan). He shifted to [[Lahore]] in 1939 to study at [[Government College, Lahore]] where he graduated in 1941.<ref name=pun/> Thereafter he studied [[industrial chemistry]] at [[Banaras Hindu University]] till 1942. Subsequently, he started worked as an engineer in Lahore, while studying arts privately.<ref name=zee/><ref name=hindu08/>

During the riots that preceded the [[partition of India]] in 1947, he left Lahore in May 1947, and travelled to Eastern [[Punjab, British India|Punjab]] and Kangra-Kullu Valley, where he witnessed macabre killings of local Muslim minority. This was to have a lasting impact both of his psyche and his art. Finally he settled in Delhi, where he reestablished himself.<ref name=pun>{{cite book|title=The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed|date = 29 September 2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0_Xm_2BOI3MC&pg=RA1-PT629|access-date=20 August 2013|quote = Interviews: Amarnath Sehgal: Delhi, 20 October 1999 |publisher=Rupa Publications|isbn=978-81-291-2125-7|page=1}}</ref> He travelled on a [[freight]] for 47 days to New York.<ref name=exp1992/> He later obtained a master's degree in [[art education]] from [[New York University School of Education]] (now rename [[Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development]]) in 1950. During this period he was exposed to world art and inspirations of [[Henri Matisse]].<ref name=zee>{{cite web| title = Renowned sculptor Amarnath Sehgal passes away| url = http://zeenews.india.com/news/states/renowned-sculptor-amarnath-sehgal-passes-away_415564.html|date=28 December 2007|access-date = 20 August 2013|publisher=Zee News}}</ref><ref name=hindu08/>

==Career==
His first exhibition was inaugurated in New York in 1951, by [[Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations|India's permanent representative]] to the United Nations.<ref name=exp1992>{{cite web | title =Shades of a single palette| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9H5lAAAAIBAJ&pg=1611,2725822&dq=amarnath+sehgal&hl=en|page=21|date=8 November 1992| access-date = 21 August 2013}}</ref> Upon his return from US, Sehgal taught at the [[Modern School (New Delhi)|Modern School, New Delhi]] for a short while, and his wife Sheila Dhawan was also a teacher at its Junior School.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Dream Turns Seventy Five: The Modern School, 1920–1995|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2y2gvqv2xsEC&pg=PA96|year=1995|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-7023-499-9|page=96}}</ref> Later he remained a faculty at [[College of Art, Delhi]], [[University of Delhi]] and established his studio in Delhi. In time, he became a leading exponents of modernism in Indian sculptor. Themes of much of his oeuvre revolved around the importance of individual freedom and human dignity, and his response the horrors of political violence.<ref name=hindu/><ref name="Subramanian2003">{{cite book|author=V. K. Subramanian|title=Art Shrines of Ancient India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LcMhnC9sYS8C&pg=PA120|year=2003|publisher=Abhinav Publications|isbn=978-81-7017-431-8|page=120}}</ref><ref>[[#Ba|Bhattacharya, p. 18]]</ref>

His works were exhibited in many places across the world, winning him international acclaim.<ref name=hindu/> Many of his sculptures in stone and metal are in the collection of [[National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi]].<ref>[[#Ba|Bhattacharya, p. 19]]</ref>

{{Quote box|quote="I am convinced that an artiste has a moral right to his work, even if it has been paid for by an individual or an organisation."|align=right|width=25%|source=Amarnath Sehgal <small>(''[[The Hindu]]'', 2006)</small><ref>{{cite web| title = Interview : A journey called art| url = http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/06/24/stories/2006062403260400.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140416174501/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/06/24/stories/2006062403260400.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = 16 April 2014|date= 24 June 2006| work = [[The Hindu]]| access-date = 21 August 2013}}</ref>}}

In 1957, he was commission to create mural for the [[Vigyan Bhavan]], India's first state convention centre. The bronze mural spanned 140 feet by 40 feet, depicting rural and modern India, and was completed five years later and installed in the [[foyer]] of the building in 1962.<ref name=toi2005>{{cite web| title = Artist has full rights over works: HC| url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-02-21/delhi/27857948_1_mural-intellectual-property-vigyan-bhawan| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131214170353/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-02-21/delhi/27857948_1_mural-intellectual-property-vigyan-bhawan| url-status = dead| archive-date = 14 December 2013|date=21 February 2005| work = [[The Times of India]]| access-date = 21 August 2013}}</ref> Subsequently, in 1979, during renovations, the mural was removed without his consent, and shifted to the storehouse. When in the following years despite his request no action was taken, He filed a case at the [[Delhi High Court]] seeking damages. Thus ''[[Amar Nath Sehgal v. Union of India]]''. After a 13-year-long legal proceeding, the case was finally decided in his favour on 21 February 2005.<ref name=toi2005/> Thus it became a landmark case in Indian legal history, as for the first time uphold the [[moral rights (copyright law)|moral right]] of an author under the [[Copyright law of India|Indian Copyright Act]] and awarded damages. The government was also asked to return his mural<ref>{{cite web|title=India Key milestones for intellectual property|url=http://www.buildingipvalue.com/07AP/p.266-269%20India.pdf|publisher=BuildingIPValue.com|access-date=28 February 2012|author=Pravin Anand|author2=Keshav S Dhakad}}</ref><ref name="RadhakrishnanBalasubramanian2008">{{cite book|author1=Radhakrishnan|author2=Dr. R. Radhakrishnan and Dr.S. Balasubramanian|title=Intellectual Property Rights: Text and Cases|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nEc8PtMOuzsC&pg=PA62|year=2008|publisher=Excel Books India|isbn=978-81-7446-609-9|page=62}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = After Sale Service| url = http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/66268/ |date=13 March 2005| access-date = 20 August 2013 |work=Indian Express}}</ref>

Besides art, Sehgal was also a poet, he published two collection of his poems, ''Lonesome Journey'' (1996) and ''Awaiting a New Dawn'' (1998).<ref name=hindu08>{{cite web| title = It is lonely at the top! | url = http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/01/07/stories/2008010750860200.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080113035447/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/01/07/stories/2008010750860200.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 13 January 2008 |date=7 January 2008| work = [[The Hindu]] | access-date = 21 August 2013}}</ref>

A bronze sculpture titled, ''The Captive'', first designed by Sehgal for the U.N. conference on sanctions against South Africa, held at Paris in 1986 was later installed on [[Robben Island]], [[Cape Town]], [[Nelson Mandela]]'s former island prison, on [[National Women's Day]], 9 August 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title =S. African women caught in a contradiction| url =http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/08/12/stories/0312000a.htm| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20031116042912/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/08/12/stories/0312000a.htm| url-status =dead| archive-date =16 November 2003|date=12 August 2001|work =[[The Hindu]]| access-date = 21 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = Forget dead trends, go for new movements| url = http://www.financialexpress.com/news/forget-dead-trends-go-for-new-movements/119130|publisher=Financial Express|date= 14 November 2004|access-date = 21 August 2013}}</ref> In the following year, a large stone sculpture by him, "Aiming For Excellence" was installed at the DDA [[Yamuna Sports Complex]] in New Delhi.<ref>{{cite web| title =NCR Briefs|work= The Tribune| url = http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020125/ncr.htm|date=25 January 2002| access-date = 21 August 2013}}</ref> In October 2004, an exhibition of his paintings on ''[[Ramayana]]'' and ''[[Mahabharata]]'', as "tribute to Rishi Valmiki and Rishi Vyasa" was inaugurated by then President A P J Abdul Kalam at the [[Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts]] .<ref>{{cite web| title = Exhibition – Creativity is in every mind – President A P J Abdul Kalam| url = http://ignca.nic.in/nl003401.htm| access-date = 21 August 2013| publisher = [[IGNCA]] Newsletter Vol. V & VI.| year = 2004| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140416191714/http://ignca.nic.in/nl003401.htm| archive-date = 16 April 2014| url-status = dead}}</ref>

The [[Lalit Kala Akademi]], India's National Academy of Art, in 1993, awarded him the 1993, awarded the [[List of Lalit Kala Akademi fellows|Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship]], the highest honour in the fine arts conferred by the [[Government of India]].<ref>{{cite web|title=List of Fellows |url=http://lalitkala.gov.in/list-of-fellows.html |access-date=20 August 2013 |publisher=Lalit Kala Akademi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327172429/http://lalitkala.gov.in/list-of-fellows.html |archive-date=27 March 2014 }}</ref> He had a close to the first Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and subsequently the [[Nehru–Gandhi family]].<ref name=hindu/>

He died on 28 December 2007 in New Delhi, at age 85, after a brief illness.<ref name=hindu>{{cite web | title = Renowned sculptor Amarnath Sehgal no more|work=The Hindu| url = http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200712281866.htm|date=28 December 2007| access-date = 20 August 2013}}</ref> In the following year, he was posthumously awarded the [[Padma Bhushan]], by [[Government of India]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards Directory (1954–2009) |publisher=[[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]] |url=http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/LST-PDAWD.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510095705/http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/LST-PDAWD.pdf |archive-date=10 May 2013}}</ref>

==Monographs and other works==
* {{cite book|author1=Amarnath Sehgal|author2=Mulk Raj Anand|author-link2=Mulk Raj Anand|title=Armanath Sehgal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5B7qPQAACAAJ|year=1964|publisher=Published by Mulk Raj Anand for Marg Publications}}
* {{cite book|title=Amar Nath Sehgal-Selected Sculptures, Graphics and Drawings 1947–1972|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aLXhHAAACAAJ|year=1972|publisher=National Gallery of Modern Art, Jaipur House}}
* {{cite book|author1=Amarnath Sehgal|author2=Pran Nath Mago|title=Amarnath Sehgal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OQDWAAAAMAAJ|year=1993|publisher=Lalit Kala Akademi}}
* {{cite book|author=Amarnath Sehgal|title=Lonesome journey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gb8gAQAAIAAJ|year=1996|publisher=Har-Anand Publications}}
* {{cite book|author=Amarnath Sehgal|title=Awaiting a New Dawn|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5hstwAACAAJ|year=1998|publisher=Haranand Publications Pvt. Limited|isbn=978-81-241-0554-2}}
* {{cite book|author=Amarnath Sehgal|title=Epic Episodes: Paintings on Ramayana and Mahabharata|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yfbVAAAAMAAJ|year=2005|publisher=Amar Nath Sehgal}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|title=Art in India Today|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h-tPAAAAMAAJ|chapter=Sculpture Today by Amarnath Sehgal|pages=99–106|year=1972|publisher=United Nations Council of Indian Youth}}
* {{cite book|author=Sunil Kumar Bhattacharya|title=Trends in Modern Indian Art|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SIs5qkjljpQC&pg=PA19|year=1994|publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd.|isbn=978-81-85880-21-1|ref=Bh}}
*{{cite book|author=Pran Nath Mago|title=Contemporary Art in India: A Perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dgDqAAAAMAAJ|year=2001|publisher=National Book Trust, India|isbn=978-81-237-3420-0|page=185}}

==External links==
* {{cite web|title=Amar Nath Sehgal v. Union of India|url=http://www.indiankanoon.org/doc/1990275/|publisher=Indian Kanoon}}

{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 2000–09}}

{{Fellows of the Lalit Kala Akademi}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sehgal, Amar Nath}}
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian male sculptors]]
[[Category:Modern sculptors]]
[[Category:Indian male painters]]
[[Category:Indian art educators]]
[[Category:English-language poets from India]]
[[Category:Banaras Hindu University alumni]]
[[Category:Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni]]
[[Category:University of Delhi faculty]]
[[Category:People from Delhi]]
[[Category:Copyright activists]]
[[Category:Indian human rights activists]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Lalit Kala Akademi]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian sculptors]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian painters]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:Indian male poets]]
[[Category:Indian expatriates in the United States]]

Amarnath Sehgal - Revision history

->Johnpacklambert at 14:39, 22 September 2021