Anjolie Ela Menon

Biography:

Born in 1940 in Burnpur (West Bengal), Anjolie Ela Menon is a leading contemporary artist who hailed from a Bengali and American parentage. She completed her schooling at Lovedale, after which she pursued a degree in English Literature from Delhi University. She was inspired by the works of masters like Modigliani and Indian artists such as Amrita Shergil and M.F. Hussain during this time. Later, following a brief spell at Sir J.J. School of Art, she received formal training in painting at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, on a French Government scholarship from 1959-61.

Anjolie was influenced by the techniques of medieval Christian artists. She used her time in Paris to travel widely around Europe, studying Romanesque and Byzantine art before returning home. She utilized the techniques of Christian art, including the frontal perspective, the averted head, the elongated bodies, and the female nude as a significant subject. She pursued further studies in France, the U.K., and the USA at the invitation of respective Governments during 1980-81.

Anjolie is a well-known muralist. Often described as magical, enigmatic, and mysterious, Anjolie Ela Menon paintings evoke an element of empathy in the viewer. She has had over 35 solo shows in India and abroad and has participated in several group shows along with I, II, and III International Triennale by Lalit Kala Akademi in 1968, 1972 & 1975; Paris Biennale, France in1980; at New York & Washington D.C. in 1980.

Her artistic portrayal of loss often encompasses various elements, including black crows, windows, empty chairs, and hidden figures. Her vast oeuvre has undergone reasonable changes as she inspires artists to abandon the known to embrace new terrains of working. She also rejects the idea of reading only symbolism in her works as she incorporates images for the feminine need to embellish or, at times, to create tension.

Anjolie Ela Menon is a recipient of Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honours, by the Government of India in 2000, and she is on the board of trustees of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). She received a lifetime achievement award from the Government of Delhi in 2013 and a National Kalidas Samman for Visual Arts from the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 2018.

Her recent exhibitions include ‘Menongitis-Three Generations of Art at Dhoomimal Gallery, New Delhi, in 2008, and ‘Gods and Others’ by Apparao Galleries at Admit One Gallery, New York, in 2000. She also had a retrospective show organized by the Times of India at the Jehangir Art Gallery in 1998 and another retrospective titled ‘Four Decades’ in Mumbai and Bangalore. She was also honoured with a six-month solo at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Her work was shown in a major retrospective held at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, in 2002, which also toured other towns, including Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore. Her life and work have been featured in significant publications and films for Doordarshan and CNN.

Anjolie Ela Menon’s paintings are in the collection of significant museums and private and corporate collections across the globe. 

She lives and works in New Delhi.

Artworks By Anjolie Ela Menon