16 Facts About Tyeb Mehta

Tyeb Mehta was an Indian painter, sculptor and film maker.

Tyeb Mehta was part of the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group and the first post-colonial generation of artists in India, like John Wilkins who broke free from the nationalist Bengal school and embraced Modernism instead, with its Post-Impressionist colours, cubist forms and brusque, expressionistic styles.

Tyeb Mehta stayed and worked in Mumbai for much of his life, except for three spells at London, New York, and Santiniketan, each having a distinct impact upon his work.

Tyeb Mehta received several awards during his career including the Padma Bhushan in 2007.

Tyeb Mehta was born on 26 July 1925 in Kapadvanj, a town of Kheda district, the Indian state of Gujarat.

Tyeb Mehta was brought up in the Crawford Market neighbourhood of Mumbai, populated by Dawoodi Bohras.

Tyeb Mehta left for London in 1959, where he worked and lived till 1964.

Tyeb Mehta made a three-minute film, Koodal, which he shot at the Bandra slaughter house, it won the Filmfare Critics Award in 1970.

Tyeb Mehta held the then record for the highest price an Indian painting has ever sold for at auction for Celebration at Christie's in 2002.

In December 2005, Tyeb Mehta's painting Gesture was sold for 31 million Indian rupees to Ranjit Malkani, chairman of Kuomi Travel, at the Osian's auction.

Tyeb Mehta's were the first works by a contemporary Indian artist to sell for over a million dollars, and indicated a burgeoning interest in Indian art by the international market; as a result, Tyeb Mehta became a cultural hero.

Tyeb Mehta spent most of life in Mumbai and later in life stayed at Lokhandwala, Mumbai.

Tyeb Mehta died on 2 July 2009 at a Mumbai hospital following a heart attack.

Tyeb Mehta is survived by his wife, Sakina, their son, Yusuf, and daughter, Himani and a number of grandchildren.

Tyeb Mehta received a fellowship from the John D Rockefeller 3rd Fund in 1968, in the same year, a gold medal for paintings at the first Triennial in New Delhi, and in 1974 the Prix Nationale at the International Festival of Painting in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France, the Kalidas Samman, instituted by the Madhya Pradesh Government, in 1988, the Dayawati Modi Foundation Award for Art, Culture, and Education in 2005, and the Padma Bhushan in 2007.

Tyeb Mehta's work has been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, England, and the Hirshhorn Museum.