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Art collector and leading art expert
An art collector, art historian, an erudite scholar
and a leading authority on Indian art. This seems a
bulky introduction to a gentle and pleasant-mannered
Jagdish Mittal, born in Uttar Pradesh on
January 2, 1927.
Mittal studied fine arts at Shanti Niketanand
became the art editor of a leading Hindi monthly Kalpana
in 1951 and continued to hold the post for the next
22 years.
He made Hyderabad his home in 1953. He believes that
a true artist should be interested in all art forms.
That is why it is not a wonder that his first book,
Bharatiya Kasida (Indian Embroidery), co-authored
with wife Kamla, wasn't on paintings. However,
his second one, published by the Andhra Pradesh Lalit
Kala Akademi in 1969, was on the Andhra Paintings
on Ramayana.
He has delivered lectures and presented papers on
Indian art in seminars at several foreign museums
and universities, including in New York, Boston,
Los Angeles, Chicago and London.
Jagdish Mittal and Kamala are also passionate collectors
of Indian miniatures, folk bronzes, decorative and
other arts and, including drawings and folk paintings.
In March 1976 they created a public charitable trust
at Hyderabad and named it Jagdish and Kamla Mittal
Museum of Indian Art. Several art objects of the
Museum were lent for display at the prestigious Festival
of India Exhibitions held in London (1982),
USA (1985) and France (1986). The museum
is also actively engaged in arranging thematic exhibitions
and lectures.
Anxious about the neglect of Indian art and culture,
Jagdish Mittal was instrumental in establishing INTACH
(International Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage),
which is active throughout India. In recognition of
his services in the field of paintings, Jagdish Mittal
has been honoured with the Padma Shri.
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