Born: 1911 Ahmednagar, India
Died: 1994 Bombay, India
Year of Migration to the UK: 1930
Other name/s: Gopal D. Deuskar , Shri Gopalrao Deuskar
Biography
Painter Gopal Damodar Deuskar was born in Ahmednagar, India on 11 September 1911 into an artistically inclined family; his father was a fine arts teacher at a missionary high school and his grandfather, a sculptor. Tragically, both his parents died when he was just two years old. He was then taken in by his uncle, the painter R.W. Deuskar, who worked at the court of the Nizam in Hyderabad. This artistic environment and familial support laid the foundation for his future career. Deuskar completed his early education in Hyderabad before enrolling in 1927 at the prestigious Sir J.J. School of Art in Bombay (now Mumbai). He resided at Lalit Kala Darsh Natakmandali, a theatre company run by his brother-in-law, Bapurav Pendharkar. Excelling in his studies, he graduated in 1931 with the highest honours, including a gold medal. During his time as a student, he caught the attention of Captain Gladstone Solomon, the principal of the school, who selected his works to be exhibited in London at India House. Two of his drawings (now in the Royal Collection) were personally chosen by HM Queen Mary in 1930, a sign of his burgeoning reputation. Shortly after, Deuskar began to win accolades for his artistic skill. He received the coveted Viceroy’s Medal at the Simla Art Exhibition and the Gold Medal of the Bombay Art Society, as well as first prize in a national competition held by Indian Railways. In recognition of his talent, the Nizam awarded him a scholarship for further studies in Europe.
Deuskar’s time in Europe marked a significant phase in his artistic development. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he spent time copying works at the Louvre, before continuing his training at the academies of Vienna, Berlin, and Madrid. In London, he participated in the 1934 Exhibition of Modern Indian Art at the New Burlington Galleries and was accepted to study under the aegis of the Royal Academy of Arts, becoming the only Indian artist of his time to exhibit regularly in the annual Summer Exhibition, with Bathers (1935), Shakuntala (1936), A Bull’s Holiday (1938), and Dawn (1939) all shown at Burlington House. In 1937 and 1939, his work featured in important exhibitions held at the Royal Institute Galleries in Piccadilly, organised by the Royal Colonial Society of Artists. The exhibitions showcased artists from across the British Empire, and Deuskar’s paintings Dawn and Spring, in the first show, were cited in The Times for their 'bright little inventions' (8 May 1937, p. 12), standing as notable examples of how Indian painting could combine traditional linear design with Western techniques. These exhibitions placed him firmly within the landscape of modern international art, at a time when Indian artists were rarely seen in such spaces. Deuskar's European success led to a scholarship extension by the Nizam, allowing him to travel further across the continent, visiting Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Hungary, and Italy. These travels informed both his stylistic fusion of Eastern and Western traditions and his technical mastery. Gladstone Solomon praised Deuskar’s gift for pictorial composition and his ability to integrate the poetic sensibilities of the East with the academic rigour of Western art, describing him as potentially the founder of a new school of Indian painting (The Paintings of Gopal D. Deuskar).
After returning to India, Deuskar was appointed Deputy Director and later Vice Chancellor of the Sir J.J. School of Art, though he resigned in 1942 to focus fully on painting. Initially devoted to royal portraiture, his practice expanded after Indian independence in 1948 to include national leaders and cultural figures, such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, JRD Tata, and MC Setalvad. His portraits, many commissioned for Sansad Bhavan, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Supreme Court, and the Victoria Memorial Museum, were known for their meticulous execution. He preferred live sittings, and when painting the deceased, he carefully researched period attire and found similar models. In 1955, a parliamentary committee appointed him to produce official portraits. He was nominated to the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1959, serving for six years, and represented India at a visual arts conference in Vienna in 1960. In 1971, he completed Karmayog, a monumental mural for the Tilak Smarak Mandir in Pune. He also donated a series of portraits to Fergusson College in 1977, where he was offered residence and a studio to carry out the project. Gopal Damodar Deuskar died on 8 February 1994 in Mumbai, India. In the UK public domain, his work is represented in the Royal Collection Trust
Related books
- Nehru Centre Pays Tribute to Late Shri Gopalrao Deuskar (Mumbai: Nehru Centre Art Gallery, 1995)
- ‘Art Within the Empire’, Times, 8 May 1937, p. 12
Public collections
Related organisations
- École des Beaux-Arts, Paris (student)
- Lalit Kala Akademi, New Dehli (teacher)
- Royal Academy Schools (student)
- Sir J.J. School of Art, Bombay (now Mumbai) (student)
- Sir J.J. School of Art, Bombay (now Mumbai) (Vice Chancellor)
Related web links
- Royal Academy of Arts, Summer Exhibitions
- Saffron Art
- Shapedia
- Vasant K. Wankhede, documentary on Gopal Deuskar, 1988
- W. E. Gladstone Solomon, ‘The Paintings of Gopal D. Deuskar’
Selected exhibitions
- Royal Colonial Society of Artists Exhibition, Royal Institute Galleries, Piccadilly, London (1939)
- Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London (1939, 1938)
- Royal Colonial Society of Artists Exhibition, Royal Institute Galleries, Piccadilly, London (1937)
- Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London (1936, 1935)
- Exhibition of Modern Indian Art, New Burlington Galleries, London (1934)
- India House Exhibition, London (1930)
