Gujarat-based artist Rini Dhumal passes away at 73

In a career spanning over four decades, the Vadodara-based artist promoted printmaking extensively. Among her many subjects, she considered women in various stages after birth to be an inspiration and depicted them in her artwork

Well-known artist Rini Dhumal passed away in Vadodara on Tuesday (September 7). She was 73. 

Among her many subjects, she considered women in various stages after birth to be an inspiration and depicted them in her artwork. In a career spanning over four decades, she started out with printmaking, which has also influenced her paintings, according to the website of the Great Banyan Art online gallery.

She has exhibited her artwork at many solo and group exhibitions including ‘A Tapestry of Time’ (2018) at Tao Art Gallery, and Gallery 7 in Mumbai in the past. In 2017, Dhumal released her third coffee table book ‘Parallel Wings’, which was also showcased as an exhibition of 60 paintings, which she had been working on for more than two and a half years, according to her interview with DNA the same year.


An untitled artwork by Rini Dhumal. Photo: Mid-day/file pic

She completed her Masters in Fine Arts (Painting) from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MS University) in 1972 and was also a professor at the college. The artist was trained by the likes of Padma Vibushan awardee KG Subramanyan during her brief residency at Santiniketan and MS University. Over the years, she was also instrumental in promoting printmaking with the likes of Sudhir Patwardhan and Akbar Padamsee, as per a 2015 interview with The Hindu. After receiving a scholarship from the French Government, she also worked in Paris under famous English painter and printmaker Sir Stanley William Hayter at his art studio and school Atelier 17, which had visitors like Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock. Dhumal also worked with fellow renowned Indian painter Krishna Reddy during the time. 

She won several awards during her career including Chancellor’s Gold Medal in 1972 and the Governor’s Gold Medal in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1974. 

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