Haku Shah facts for kids

Haku Vajubhai Shah (24 March 1934 – 21 March 2019) was an Indian painter, Gandhian, cultural anthropologist and author on folk and tribal art and culture. His art belonged to the Baroda Group and his works are considered in the line of artists who brought themes of folk or tribal art to Indian art.

He received several awards including the Padma Shri (1989), the Jawarharlal Nehru Fellowship and the Kala Ratna for his contribution to art.

Early life and education

Haku Vajubhai Shah was born on 26 March 1934, in Valod (now in Surat district, Gujarat) to Vajubhai and Vadanben. His mother was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and it influenced him. He completed his primary and secondary school education in Valod and was an active member of student union. He graduated in Fine Arts (BFA) from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in 1955, followed by a master's degree in Fine Arts (MFA) from the same university.

Career

His work caught the public eye, and by 1965 he had held several one-man shows in Kolkata and Mumbai. In 1968, he curated the 'Unknown India' exhibition, organized by Art Critic Stella Kramrisch at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He received the Rockefeller Grant in the same year and in 1971, the Nehru Fellowship Award.

Over the years, he carried out extensive field research and documentation on rural and tribal arts and crafts, traditions and folk lore. He taught at a Gandhian Ashram in south Gujarat for several years and established a tribal museum at Gujarat Vidyapith in Ahmedabad, which was set up by Mahatma Gandhi. Haku curated the museum for several year, which was to become his last legacy.

His work is deeply influenced by the tribal art and culture, a theme on which he wrote several of his works, and also Bhakti movement, especially its Nirguna poetry. He was also deeply influenced by Gandhian philosophy. In 1980s, he was also instrumental in the foundation of Shilpgram, a crafts village, in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

In 2009, he published his memoirs titled, Manush.

He died on 21 March 2019 in Ahmedabad following cardiac arrest at his home.

Awards

• 1968: John D. Rockefeller 3rd Fellow, New York, U.S.A.
• 1971: Nehru Fellowship Award, New Delhi
• 1973: Civic Award, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation
• 1975: John D. Rockefeller 3rd Fellow, New York, U.S.A.
• 1989: Padma Shri, President of India
• 1991: Regent Professor, California, U.S.A.
• 1997: Kala Ratna, All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi.
• 1998: Kala Shiromani, Lalit Kala Akademi, Ahmedabad
• 2006: Gagan Avani Puraskar, Shantiniketan

Solo exhibitions

• 1961: Ashok Gallery, Kolkata
• 1962: Ashok Gallery, Kolkata
• 1963: Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
• 1964: Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; Academy of Arts, Kolkata
• 1967: Chemould Gallery, Mumbai; Private Garden, Delhi
• 1968: International House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; The Art Scene Today, Chemould Gallery, Mumbai; Asia Foundation Gallery, San Francisco, California
• 1969: Chemould Gallery, Mumbai; City Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri
• 1971: Sanskar Kendra, Ahmedabad; Chemould Gallery, Mumbai
• 1973: Sanskar Kendra, Ahmedabad
• 1975: Chemould Gallery, Mumbai
• 1976: Gallery One, New York
• 1981: Sanskar Kendra, Paldi, Ahmedabad
• 1984: Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata; Minge Kan, Folk Art Museum, Tokyo
• 1987: Vikram Art Gallery, Madras
• 1988: Aressa Gallery, Mumbai
• 1991: Bade Museum, Berkeley
• 1993: Art Heritage, New Delhi
• 1994: Chemould Gallery, Mumbai
• 1996: Cymroza Gallery, Mumbai
• 1997: The Village Gallery, New Delhi; India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi; The Gallery, Chennai, Art Indus, New Delhi; Herwitz Art Gallery, Ahmedabad
• 1998: Durban Art Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa; Lalit Kala Akademi, Chandigarh
• 1999: All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society, (AIFACS), New Delhi
• 2000: Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Mumbai
• 2002: Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
• 2004: Coomarswamy Hall, Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai; Sarjan Art Gallery, Vadodara
• 2005: Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi; Cima Gallery, Kolkata; Marvel Art Gallery, Ahmedabad
• 2007: Time & Space Gallery, Bangalore; Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
• 2008: Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai; Emami Art, Kolkata; Marvel Art Gallery, Ahmedabad (Nov–Dec 2008)

One-man photographic exhibitions

• 1982: Sanskar Kendra/National institute of design, Ahmedabad
• 1992: India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi
• 1994: Centre For Photography As An Art Form, NCPA, Bombay
• 2006: Alliance Francaise, Bangalore

Films

• 1978: "Pithoro, the Tribal God"', Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi
• 1970, "Scraps", made with Yvonne Hannemann

Major projects

• 1979: Process of Technology, concept and design, Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• 1981: Village Vasna, concept/collection and photos, Museum of Mankind, London.
• 1983: Form and Many Forms of Mother Clay, concept, design, curator and catalogue, Crafts Museum, New Delhi and Mingei International, San Diego, California
• 1986: The Art of the Adivasis, commissioner, concept and design, in Japan, as part of "Festival of India"
• 1988: Form Colour and Creativity, curator, concept and design, Crafts Museum, New Delhi.
• 1989: Shilpa Gram, created permanent village as museum, craft centre, revival of arts and crafts and theatre, concept and design, Udaipur
• 1990: Shilpa Mela, Arts and Crafts Fair at Ahmedabad, visualizer, designer and consultant, for Handicrafts Corporation, Government of Gujarat.

Children's books

• 1994: Champa, Hindi, Gujrati, Bengali Published by SAHMAT, New Delhi.
• 1998, Dharti, Hindi, Gujrati, Published by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi
• 1998, Somi, Hindi, Gujrati, Published by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi
• 2007, Jeevi aur Jeetu, Published by Vatsal Prakashan, Bikaner.
• 2007, Goth, Hindi, Published by Vatsal Prakashan, Bikaner.
• 2007, Manapari, English, Published by Shivshakthi, Bangalore.