About Badri Narayan

Born in 1929 in Andhra Pradesh, the self-taught Badri Narayan is an eminent Indian artist, illustrator, author and story teller. He has been painting for over 45 years. During this time, he has been a teacher and an artist, but always, an introspective individual. His paintings are intimate and appealing, often with an element of fantasy, with simple outlines.

He says: "I have picked up the imagery that surrounds me, the one I am born into, and it comes naturally." He draws heavily from Indian mythology and metaphors and acknowledges the influence of the Indian miniature tradition. Narayan believes that painting is two-dimensional and prefers to work on a smaller format; one that he finds practical and well suited for the watercolours that have been his preferred medium for several years. He has also worked on tile and ceramic early in his career.

His first public showing was in 1949, followed by a solo show in 1954. In the years since, he has had over 50 solo shows and his work is in several collections, including the National Gallery of Modern art and the National Museum (India) in New Delhi. His works have been featured in the ‘Asian Artists Today’, Fukoka Art Museum, ‘Art Now in India’, an exhibition that travelled to England and Belgium, in 1966, and West Germany in 1982. He has also represented India in the Paris Biennale (1961) and the Biennale of Prints, Tokyo (1966-67). He has been the subject of a documentary by Mumbai All India Radio, and has received numerous awards, including the National Award of the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1965, Padma Shri in 1987 and the Maharashtra Gourav Puruskar in 1990. He won the National Award of the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1965. He lives and works in Bangalore.