Saraswati Foundation Premium Artist Profile
Dhiraj Choudhary
1936–2018 · Expressive figurative artist whose work engaged social and political realities with intensity, discipline, and compassion.
Born in Brahmanbaria in Bengal, now Bangladesh, he moved to India after Partition. That lived experience shaped a body of work rooted in human struggle, migration, and inequality, while his long teaching career at Delhi College of Art helped shape generations of artists.
Awards & Honours
He received numerous awards and honours across his career; gallery records note more than 15 distinctions, though they are not individually listed here.
Biography
Dhiraj Choudhary was born in September 1936 in Brahmanbaria district of Bengal, now Bangladesh. After Partition, his family moved to India, and the experience became a defining influence on his art, deepening his concern for social realities and inequality. He taught at Delhi College of Art from 1961 to 1996, and worked across drawing, painting, and experimental sculpture with a distinctive expressive language.
Exhibitions & Residencies
His work travelled widely in India and abroad. In 2011, Dhiraj 75 was presented across Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Kolkata. He also exhibited internationally, including Geneva in the late 1970s alongside works by Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró.
Artwork Collection
Selected Works
Research sources: Dhoomimal Gallery · Kumar Gallery