Jehangir Sabavala

Artist Jehangir Sabavala was born in Mumbai in 1922 to a family with a deep interest in culture and civic affairs, which were closely linked to the history of Bombay. After obtaining a diploma from Mumbai's JJ School of Art, he pursued further studies at the Heatherley School of Art in London from 1945 to 1947, Academia Andre Lhote in Paris from 1948 to 1951, Academie Julian from 1953 to 1954, and finally at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in 1957.

Sabavala believes in the gradual process of art-making, seeking a subtle progression in his artworks, with a focus on having a solid foundation to build upon. He emphasizes that an artwork needn't come naturally, but rather requires hard work, preliminary sketches, planning, and explorations. His works predominantly deal with landscapes, characterized by a quiet palette, silent figures merged with the background, and slight suggestive treatment on the surface. The structures eventually speak for themselves, making Sabavala's art a fine thread between abstractionism and representation. He was intrigued by the masters of Cubism and studied the Cubist school from 1947 to 1951 to understand cubism intellectually.

Sabavala's career spanned more than sixty years since his first solo exhibition held in a hired room of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, put up with the help of fellow artist M.F. Husain and a couple of carpenters. He has to his credit over thirty solo exhibitions held across India as well as abroad. His most recent solo exhibits include "Ricorso" at Aicon Gallery in New York in 2009 and Sakshi Gallery in Mumbai in 2008, and "Jehangir Sabavala: A Retrospective" organized by Sakshi Gallery at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, and New Delhi in 2005-06. Sabavala's works have also been featured in numerous group exhibitions worldwide, including "Trends and Techniques - Water Color in India" at Galerie 88 in Kolkata in 2005 and "The Search" in Mumbai in 2004, as well as in a display of the Jehangir Nicholson Collection in Mumbai in 2004.

Eminent art publishers, including the house of Tata-McGraw-Hill and the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, have already published three monographs on Sabavala. A film on his life titled "Colours of Absence" won the National Award in 1994. Sabavala received the "Padma Shri" from the Government of India in 1977 and the Lalit Kala Ratna from the President of India in 2007. He passed away in 2011.

Jehangir Sabavala's works have quietly gained popularity alongside those of other well-known artists. Several of his works have sold for large sums at auctions, including "The Embarkation," which sold for $1.59 million at a Christie's auction in New York in September 2021. Sabavala's paintings are known for their muted colors and signature neo-cubist style. As his works become increasingly rare following his death, they are expected to continue to fetch high prices at auctions. You can browse through our gallery of Serigraphs that are affordable alternatives to owning works of his and other famous serigraph artists.