MarlysAugust8 at 20:14, 28 April 2026

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{{Short description|Indian sculptor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox artist
| name = Anila Jacob
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = c. 1941
| birth_place = [[Kottayam]], [[Kingdom of Travancore]], [[British India]] (present-day [[Kerala]], India)
| education = [[Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai]] (Diploma in Fine Arts, 1964)
| known_for = Sculpture
| movement = [[Madras Art Movement]]
| awards = {{unbulleted list
| National Award, [[Lalit Kala Akademi]] (1965)
| Madras State Lalit Kala Akademi Award (1968)
| Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishath Award (1976)
| Padmini Puraskaram, Kerala Lalithakala Akademi (2011)
| Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram, Kerala Lalithakala Akademi (2018)
}}
}}

'''Anila Jacob''' ({{Nee|Thomas}}, born c. 1941) is an Indian [[Sculptor (artist)|sculptor]] associated with the [[Madras Art Movement]] and [[Cholamandal Artists' Village]].<ref name="art-artist.in">{{cite web |title=anila jacob - Art & Artist |url=https://art-artist.in/dir/fre/anila.htm |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=art-artist.in}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Cholamandal ( Artist's Village ) |url=https://www.cholamandalartistvillage.com/ |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=www.cholamandalartistvillage.com}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Anila Jacob was born in [[Kottayam]], [[Kerala]] in 1941.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anila Jacob Profile |url=https://www.cholamandalartistvillage.com/Anila%20Jacob.html |access-date={{TODAY}} |website=[[Cholamandal Artists' Village]] |archive-date=14 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514062850/http://www.cholamandalartistvillage.com/Anila%20Jacob.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Although she initially applied for painting,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Menon |first=Anasuya |date=2024-09-13 |title=Sculptor Anila Jacob hosts an exhibition of her works at her home in Aluva |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/sculptor-anila-jacob-hosts-an-exhibition-of-her-works-at-her-home-in-aluva/article68629168.ece |access-date=2025-05-05 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=27 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927213656/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/sculptor-anila-jacob-hosts-an-exhibition-of-her-works-at-her-home-in-aluva/article68629168.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> she was admitted to the sculpture course at the Government College of Arts & Crafts, Madras (now Chennai) by the principal [[K. C. S. Paniker]].<ref name="NIE2019">{{cite news |date=2019-11-12 |title=Kochi-based artist Anila Jacob has a lasting love affair with sculpture |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2019/Nov/12/kochi-based-artist-anila-jacob-has-a-lasting-love-affair-with-sculpture-2060839.html |access-date=2025-05-05 |work=The New Indian Express}}</ref> She graduated in 1960 with a First Class Diploma in Fine Arts, ranking first.<ref name=":2" />

She is married to Jacob Thomas and has two children.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Alone and on the move - Padma Jayaraj |url=https://narthaki.com/info/profiles/profl136.html |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=narthaki.com}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Anand |first=Shilpa Nair |date=2019-11-14 |title=How Kerala sculptor Anila Jacob sculpted her way to the limelight with her signature pieces in different materials |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/how-kerala-sculptor-anila-jacob-sculpted-her-way-to-the-limelight-with-her-signature-pieces-in-different-materials/article29962829.ece |access-date=2025-05-05 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=13 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013060820/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/art/how-kerala-sculptor-anila-jacob-sculpted-her-way-to-the-limelight-with-her-signature-pieces-in-different-materials/article29962829.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Career ==
Jacob began her career working with concrete and clay, later creating sculptures in carved wood, such as ''Figure'' (1969).<ref name="GAC_Figure">{{cite web |title=Figure - Anila Jacob |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/figure-anila-jacob/bwFgwGP0mxjLXw?hl=en |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Google Arts & Culture}}</ref><ref name="GalleryVeda">{{cite web |title=Anila Jacob |url=https://www.galleryveda.com/index.php?route=product/artist&product_id=Anila%20Jacob |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Gallery Veda |archive-date=23 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250523071809/https://www.galleryveda.com/index.php?route=product/artist&product_id=Anila%20Jacob |url-status=live }}</ref> Subsequently, she transitioned to working with welded metals like copper and brass, exemplified by works like ''Fish'' (2008).<ref name=":1" /><ref name="GAC_Fish">{{cite web |title=Fish - Anila Jacob |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/fish-anila-jacob/xwGfp4NGQ81xdw?hl=en |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Google Arts & Culture}}</ref> Her sculptures often draw on abstract themes inspired by the nature, environment, art forms, festivals, and daily life of Kerala.<ref name="NIE2019" /> Some works associated with the Madras Movement, including Jacob's, are noted for their linear quality and 'frontality'.<ref name="GAC_Sculptures">{{cite web |title=Sculptures from the Museum of Madras Movement |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/story/sculptures-from-the-museum-of-madras-movement-cholamandal-artists-village/6wXR4PMYt3OvIw?hl=en |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Google Arts & Culture}}</ref><ref name="CritCollective_Modern">{{cite web |title=Modern Movement in Indian Sculpture |url=https://criticalcollective.in/CC_ArchiveInner2.aspx?Aid=0&Eid=848 |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Critical Collective}}</ref> She has also worked with granite, particularly during sculptors' camps.<ref name="NIE20132">{{cite news |date=2013-03-29 |title=Art appreciation yet to seep into the city of sculptures |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2013/Mar/29/art-appreciation-yet-to-seep-into-the-city-of-sculptures-463102.html |access-date=2025-05-05 |work=The New Indian Express |archive-date=6 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106155120/https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2013/mar/29/art-appreciation-yet-to-seep-into-the-city-of-sculptures-463102.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="TOI20132">{{cite news |date=2013-04-03 |title=Carving stories, history in stone |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/carving-stories-history-in-stone/articleshow/19353059.cms |access-date=2025-05-05 |work=The Times of India}}</ref>

Jacob was one of the founding members of the [[Cholamandal Artists' Village]] near Chennai in 1966, established under the guidance of K. C. S. Paniker.<ref name=":1" /> She was one of the first two women artists, along with Arnawaz Driver (later Arnawaz Vasudev), to purchase land and build a studio within the commune.<ref name="KarachiCollective">{{cite web |date=2024-03-23 |title=Cholamandal Artist Village |url=https://thekarachicollective.com/cholamandal-artist-village/ |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=The Karachi Collective}}</ref><ref name="CritCollective_Drifting">{{cite web |title=Drifting Threads: Cholamandal Artists' Village over fifty years |url=https://criticalcollective.in/ArtistGInner2.aspx?Aid=259&Eid=1072 |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Critical Collective |archive-date=26 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250326150120/https://criticalcollective.in/ArtistGInner2.aspx?Aid=259&Eid=1072 |url-status=live }}</ref> She also served as treasurer for the Progressive Painters Association.<ref name="art-artist.in" />

She has participated in numerous exhibitions throughout her career, including the National Exhibition of Art in New Delhi multiple times (1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1976, 1978), Expo '70 in Japan, and shows in Washington D.C. (1963), Dubai (1976, 1980), Prakrit Art Gallery (Chennai, 2009), Durbar Hall Art Centre (Kochi, 2011), and the [[National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru|National Gallery of Modern Art]] (Bengaluru, 2023).<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi |url=https://ngmaindia.gov.in/Clay-Demo-invites.asp |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=ngmaindia.gov.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Soji |first=Alwin Benjamin |date=2023-03-16 |title=NGMA presents a special exhibition that launched on Women's Day |url=https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/art/2023/Mar/16/ngma-presents-a-special-exhibition-that-launched-on-womens-day-47741.html |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Indulgexpress |language=en |archive-date=27 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250327141226/https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/art/2023/Mar/16/ngma-presents-a-special-exhibition-that-launched-on-womens-day-47741.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="AnilaJacobExhibitions">{{cite web |title=Exhibitions - Anila Jacob |url=https://anilajacob.com/exhibitions/ |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=anilajacob.com}}</ref><ref name="art-artist.in" /> She has also participated in several sculptors' camps organized by the [[Lalit Kala Akademi]] and state bodies,<ref name="AnilaJacobExhibitions" /> leading to installations in public spaces, including a granite sculpture in [[Connaught Place, New Delhi]] (circa 1970), and later works at Tippu Sultan Fort, Palakkad, Kozhikode Beach, and [[Fort Kochi]].<ref name="NIE20132" /><ref name="TOI20132" /> In 2018, her large sculpture titled "[[Unity in diversity|Unity in Diversity]]", made of copper, bronze, brass, and teakwood, was installed at Terminal 3 of [[Cochin International Airport]].<ref name=":0" /> Her work is included in the permanent collection of the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.<ref name="LKACollection">{{cite web |title=Permanent Collection |url=https://www.lalitkala.gov.in/permanentcollection |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=Lalit Kala Akademi |archive-date=8 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250508221146/https://www.lalitkala.gov.in/permanentcollection |url-status=live }}</ref>

Jacob describes her themes as largely abstract, often drawing inspiration from the culture and environment of Kerala, including its nature, traditional art forms, festivals, and daily life.<ref name=":3" /> Her sculpture ''Ambience'', for instance, was her interpretation of the Kozhikode beach environment.<ref name="NIE20132" />

== Awards ==

* (1963) Award at the Exhibition of Ceramic Art in Washington D.C.<ref name="KalakarKeralaBlog">{{cite web |title=ANILA JACOB - GALLERY AOCVA |url=https://kalakarkeralam.blogspot.com/p/anila-jacob.html |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=kalakarkeralam.blogspot.com |archive-date=26 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126010626/https://kalakarkeralam.blogspot.com/p/anila-jacob.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* (1964) Artists Handicraft Association Award in Madras<ref name="GAC_Figure" />
* (1965) National Award from the [[Lalit Kala Akademi]], the first woman sculptor to receive this honour<ref name=":0" />
* (1968) [[Madras State]] Lalit Kala Akademi Award
* (1976) Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishath Award from Mysore State<ref name="GAC_Figure" />
* (2011) Padmini Puraskaram from Kerala Lalithakala Akademi<ref name="NIE2012">{{cite news |date=2012-05-15 |title=Lalithakala Akademi awards announced |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2009/Apr/21/lalithakala-akademi-awards-announced-42671.html |access-date=2025-05-05 |work=The New Indian Express}}</ref>
* (2018) [[Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-11-18 |title=Anila Jacob and P Gopinath receive Raja Ravi Varma Award |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/events/kochi/anila-jacob-and-p-gopinath-receive-raja-ravi-varma-award/articleshow/72109579.cms |access-date=2025-05-05 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257 |archive-date=3 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203150915/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/events/kochi/anila-jacob-and-p-gopinath-receive-raja-ravi-varma-award/articleshow/72109579.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Kerala Lalithakala Akademi]] has planned a 40-min documentary, ‘Anilam’ to showcase her journey in art.<ref name=":0" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob, Anila}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Artists from Kerala]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women sculptors]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian sculptors]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women sculptors]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian sculptors]]
[[Category:Lalit Kala Akademi]]
[[Category:Madras Art Movement]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Anila Jacob - Revision history

MarlysAugust8 at 20:14, 28 April 2026