Paresh Maity
Biography
Born in Tamluk, a town in West Bengal, in 1965, Paresh Maity is a prolific contemporary artist known for his dynamic paintings. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts from the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kolkata, followed by a Master's Degree from the College of Art, New Delhi.
Paresh explores various mediums, including drawings, watercolors, oils, mixed media, sculptures and installations. His evocative paintings depict the atmospheric charm of India. His artistic oeuvre has captured the hues of Rajasthan, the backwaters of Kerala, the Ghats of Banaras, the French countryside, and the changing lights of the Venetian hamlets. His resplendent style of colourful landscapes and abstract paintings results from his extensive travel around the globe.
He has held 88 solo exhibitions, and his work that includes a diverse ensemble of landscapes, abstracts, portraits and figures, has been widely exhibited in galleries, museums and art fairs in India and across the globe, including; ‘SheshLekha – The Last Poems of Rabindranath Tagore’, a tribute in watercolours by Paresh Maity to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore at NGMA Delhi and Mumbai in 2011. He has participated in several prestigious shows in India, Europe, and USA. ‘A Mystic Journey’ , an exclusive collection of his watercolour works, was shown with the works of American photographer Steve McCurry as a part of the festival “India Calling! 2010” at Chicago Tourism Center Gallery of Art, Chicago, presented by Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi and Infinite Light, presented by Art Alive Gallery in Delhi showcased his four decades-long oeuvre.
Paresh Maity’s art has been collected by numerous private collectors across the world and is also present in public collections such as the Rashtrapati Bhawan (President’s House, India), the British Museum in London, the Rubin Museum of Art, New York, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, the Oberoi Group of Hotels, Taj Group of Hotels, Leela Palace hotel, New Delhi, Ritz Carlton hotel in Bengaluru, ITC Limited Welcome group Hotels, Tata Iron & Steel Co. Ltd., Hindustan Lever among many others. In 2010, he completed an approximately 850-foot mural, one of the longest paintings in the world, for the International terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. More recently, five sculptures by the artist, including Sound of Silence, a sculptural installation made using 4,000 brass bells, have been installed at the newly expanded Terminal 1 of IGI Airport, Delhi (2024).
Several books have been published on the works of Paresh Maity; the recent ones are 'PARESH MAITY: World of Watercolours' and 'The World on a Canvas – A Visual Voyage' based on the works inspired by various travels of the artist. After M.F. Husain, Paresh is the second artist to be invited by the Kerala Tourism Department, Kerala Government in 2007 to make his own visual interpretation of Kerala, which has been documented in the book 'An Enchanting Journey – Paresh Maity's Kerala' published by Art Alive Gallery.
He has been felicitated by various national and international institutions, including the Royal Watercolour Society, London, the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, the British Council, and the Indo-American Society, among others. He was honoured with the Dayawati Modi Award for Art, Culture, and Education in 2012. In 2013, he was awarded the ‘Hello! Hall of Fame Award’ for ‘The Artist of the Year 2013’ and ‘Sera Bengali’ for Art by Anand Bazar Patrika. In February 2014, he was honoured with Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards in India, by the Government of India for his contributions to the Art world.
PARESH MAITY lives and works in New Delhi, India.
Statement
During every part of our lives it is very deep and rooted for me. The madness of colour and line inspired me to create Air, Water, Fire, Earth and the Sky. With these elements, I Breath, I imagine, I conceive, I create everything with colouring and lines. My journey into the would of art and creativity has led, not only to the discovery of the chiaroscuro of light and shade, the beauty and warmth of the light of colours but also to an inner tranquility a quiet glow which I hope will act of a beacon of light to guide me on my journey in the years to come.