Jatin Das was born in December 1941 in Baripada Mayurbhanj, Orissa, India. He studied at the Sir JJ School of Art, Bombay, under Professor S.B. Palsikar. His term at the school lasted for a period of five years, from 1957 to 1962. Thereafter, he started participating in the art exhibitions, both at the national as well as the international level. Some important exhibitions where he participated include the Biennales in Paris (1971), and in Venice (1978) and the Documenta in Kessel (1975).
He is father of Bollywood Actress Nandita Das. He is divorced from Varsha Das.
Career
Jatin Das has been painting for 50 years. He has held over 68 one-man exhibitions. He has done several murals and sculpture installations. He works in oil, watercolour, ink, graphics and conté. His works now feature in several public and private collections. Jatin has built a large personal collection of traditional arts and crafts over the last 35 years. His works have been auctioned by major international auctioneers like Sotheby's, Christie's and Osian's.
In addition to being a professional artist, Jatin Das has lectured extensively. Jatin Das is an advisor to many government and private bodies. He is the settler and founder chairman of the JD Centre of Art, which is being built in his home state, Orissa. He is the only artist who has taken up a project of this kind. Several of Jatin Das's works have been donated to charity in India and abroad. He led the relief efforts at a village in Orissa, affected by the super-cyclone of 1999.
Awards
Utkala Awards by Bengal Governor, Kolkata,2006
Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity Italian Government, Italian President Award, New Delhi, 2007
Bharat Nirman Award, 2007
Seminar Management Institution, Bhubaneswar 2007
Conferred the D.Litt. (Honoris Causa), Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar on 8 May 2007
Conferred Padma Bhushan by Govt. of India, January 2012
One-man shows (selected)
The Artists Alley Gallery, San Francisco, USA, 2009
Chelsea Arts Club, London, UK, 2009
Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Delhi, India, 2009
Jehangir Art Gallery, Presented by Art & Soul Gallery, Mumbai, 2007.
AIFACS Gallery, Paintings done in Greece, Presented by ICCR, New Delhi 2007.
CIMA Gallery, Kolkata: ‘Charged Figures’, 2007.
Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi: ‘Journeys across Foreign Lands,’ 2006.
Postal stamps for Indian Postal Service on road safety, world peace and the Int’l Red Cross.
Created Murals in Egg Tempera, Mosaic, Cement and Oils.
Graphics Edition- Etching, Lithography and Serigraphs.
Workshop with the Israeli artist Meenashe Kadishman in ’99.
Teaching
Visiting Professor, Faculty of Fine Arts, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, India, 2009–2011 ;
Professor Emeritus, JMI University, 2008 ;
Visiting Professor: College of Art, National School of Drama, National Institute of Design and School of Planning and Architecture
Books
The Art of Jatin Das, Shobita Punja, Roli Books, 2003
Poems by Jatin Das, Writers' Workshop Calcutta, 1972
JD Centre of Art
In 1997 a trust was registered with Jatin Das as its founder, settler and chairman for the creation of the JD Centre of Art, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa, designed by BV Doshi, an eminent architect. It is a private non-commercial institution that will celebrate the whole range of traditional and contemporary visual and plastic arts.
Pankha: hand fans of the Indian subcontinent
28 years ago Jatin Das began a collection of pankha (hand fans). This now numbers over 6,000 fans and related objects, the majority from the Indian subcontinent. Since May 2004, sections of the collection have been on display at eminent museums in India and overseas. The inaugural show at the National Crafts Museum, Delhi, was followed by exhibitions at the Victoria Memorial; Calcutta, Fan Museum; London, National Art Gallery; Kuala Lumpur, Reitberg Museum; Zurich and National Museum; Manila. The collection will eventually be housed in a dedicated museum in New Delhi. A book on the subject, ‘To Stir the Still Air’, is being published by Mapin International.
