Museum on the Wheels: a solo exhibition by Prof Sukhvir Sanghal

‘Museum on the Wheels’, a solo exhibition honouring the artistic legacy of Prof Sukhvir Sanghal (1914–2006), one of the pioneers of the Bengal School, is currently on view at the Lalit Kala Akademi, from November 6 to 12. Curated by his granddaughter Priyam Chandra, the exhibition brings together 45 paintings and tapestries that trace the artist’s creative evolution through India’s cultural and spiritual landscapes.

The show revisits some of Sanghal’s most significant series — River of Life, Phases of Life, Marriage, Arjuna as an Ideal Man, Indian Life, Ramcharit, and Kashmir Landscapes — each reflecting his engagement with emotion, philosophy and Indian aesthetics. While he was best known for his mastery of the wash technique, Sanghal also experimented with watercolour on wood and silk, sculpture, embroidery and fine art on leather. His tapestries on khadi cloth, embroidered by hand, reveal his rare ability to transform fabric into an expressive art form.

Born in Muzaffarnagar in 1914, Sanghal was both an artist and a freedom fighter. A student of AK Halder and Abanindranath Tagore, he went on to lead the Government School of Arts and Crafts, Lucknow, as Principal until 1973. In 1938, he founded Kala Bharti in Prayagraj — an institution dedicated to fine arts, classical music and dance — which nurtured many artists, including Indira Gandhi and Vishwanath Pratap Singh.

Among his best-known works is Thou Art Dust, to Dust Returnest, which was acquired for the Royal Collection by Emperor George V. At the request of Jawaharlal Nehru, Sanghal also designed Indira Gandhi’s wedding invitation in 1942, which received wide acclaim. His deep interest in music, yoga and naturopathy infused his work with a sense of harmony between body, mind and spirit.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr Sanjeev Kishore Gautam, Director General of the National Gallery of Modern Art; Dr Nand Lal Thakur, Vice Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi; art historian Dr Alka Pande; and Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan, who described Sanghal as “one of the greatest artists of the 20th century and among the three finest wash painters India has produced.”

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Even after his passing in 2006, Sanghal’s influence continues to resonate through retrospectives and tributes, including those organised by the State Lalit Kala Akademi, Uttar Pradesh, and Kala Bharti Trust in Lucknow. Museum on the Wheels carries this legacy forward — a reminder of Sanghal’s belief that art is not confined to walls but travels freely, carrying the spirit of a civilisation wherever it goes.

When: Until November 12

Where: Gallery 1 & 2, Lalit Kala Akademi, 35 Ferozeshah Road, Mandi House, New Delhi