Jatin Das is a painter, poet, sculptor, muralist, print-maker, teacher, cultural expert and Founder Chairman of the JD Centre of Art.

 

Born in December 1941 in Mayurbhanj, Odisha, Das at 17, went to study at the Sir JJ School of Art, Bombay, under Prof. S.B. Palsikar. Since then, Das has held over 71 one-man shows. He has participated in numerous exhibitions, biennales and artist camps nationally and internationally including the Venice and Tokyo Biennale. His works are primarily in oil, watercolour, ink and conté. He has done several sculptures, graphics, murals, and installations and as a printmaker, many etchings, dry point, lithographs, and serigraphs. Over the years, he has also designed many postal stamps for the Philately Department. Das is a member of the Poetry Society of India, New Delhi.

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In 2012 he was conferred the prestigious Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards in the country, presented by the President of India. He has also been awarded the D. Litt. by various universities including Rabindra Bharti University in Kolkata. His works have been featured in several public and private collections in India and abroad and have been auctioned by major international auctioneers. His large painting ‘The Journey of India: Mohenjo-Daro to Mahatma Gandhi’ (7x68ft), is at the Indian Parliament in New Delhi and was inaugurated in 2001 by the then Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

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Jatin Das has been a visiting professor at various universities in India and abroad. In New Delhi, he was in the art faculties at Jamia Milia Islamia University, College of Art and the School of Planning and Architecture. He has been a featured speaker at numerous art and architecture institutions, museums and public forums, such as the National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad), Victoria Albert Museum (London) and Harvard University (USA) among others; sharing his experiences and knowledge of contemporary and traditional art forms. He has served as an advisor to many government and private cultural bodies. He has donated his works to several charities and social causes. He actively supported the reconstruction and rehabilitation work after the super cyclone in Odisha in 1999.

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Das’s commitment to preserve the arts and crafts led him to the dream of setting up the JD Centre of Art. The Centre, which is under construction in Odisha, will house classical, modern, traditional and folk art, all under one roof. His 40-year collection of modern art, antiquities, handicrafts, handlooms and art books will be donated to the Centre. It includes 6000 Pankhas, one of the largest private collections of hand-fans, some of which have been exhibited in national and international museums.

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During the lockdown, Jatin Das created a series of 200 ink paintings about the mass migration of labourers. Selected works from it were exhibited at Art Alive, Delhi, titled Exodus 2020. Then in 2022, a one-man show, titled, Prakruti Purush, was held at the Archer Gallery in Ahmedabad and at then at Jehangir Art Gallery and Art and Soul in Mumbai. The most recent was a large show this year at the Bihar Museum.