Sayed Haider RAZA 賽義德.海德爾.拉扎
Indian 1922-2016

In his 60 years of journey in France, the Indian Abstract Art Master S. H. Raza had bridged Indian culture with Western art with his paintings. Born in 1922, Raza was raised in Babaria, Central India. The forest of his childhood had become a significant inspiration for his paintings. Raza had started drawing since 12. After graduating from high school, he was admitted into Nagpur School of Art. From 1943 to 1947, he studied at Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai. In 1947, Raza co-founded the Progressive Artists’ Group with fellow artists like F. N. Souza and M. F. Husain. In 1950 Raza went to further his studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and resided in France after graduation. Raza’s painting style incorporated expressionist strokes, cubic forms, and fauvist colors. Since 1970s, he had changed forms into pure abstraction with traditional Indian elements. In 1980, Raza started creating the “Bindu” series, which symbolized the origin of universe and all the creatures. Raza had earned countless awards in his life, including the Prix de la Critique (1956) in Paris, the Indian Padma Shri (1981), Padma Bhushan (2007), Padma Vibhushan (2013), and the Legion d'honneur (2015) by the French government. His past exhibitions include the 1956 Biennale de Venice, the 1956 Biennale de São Paulo, and the Biennale de Menton in 1966, 1968, and 1978.

Artworks

Sayed Haider RAZA 賽義德.海德爾.拉扎