AMBADAS GODBOLE
Ambadas, a visionary artist, was born in Akola, Maharashtra, in 1922. His artistic journey began at a private art school in Ahmadabad, under the guidance of Ravi Shankar Raval. However, after three years of honing his landscape and figurative art skills, Ambadas felt constrained and relocated to Bombay. In 1947, he enrolled in the prestigious Sir J. J. School of Art, where he studied alongside Tyeb Mehta, Akbar Padamsee, and Mohan Samant, earning his diploma in 1952.
Ambadas’s humble origins, austere lifestyle, and Gandhian values shaped his complex personality, marked by a quest for spiritual fulfilment amidst material needs. His employment as a handloom textile designer at the Weavers’ Service Centre led him to Madras and eventually New Delhi, where he befriended like-minded artists J. Swaminathan, Rajesh Mehra, and Himmat Shah. Together, they founded Group 1890 in 1962, a collective that challenged existing art norms and sought to redefine modern Indian art.
Although the group’s association was short-lived, disbanding after their inaugural exhibition, Ambadas’s artistic prowess continued to flourish. As an abstract artist, he received the Lalit Kala Akademi’s national award in 1963 for his evocative work, Hot Wind Blows Inside Me. This accolade paved the way for his scholarship-funded travels to the U.S. and Germany. In 1972, Ambadas settled in Norway, where he passed away in Oslo in May 2012, leaving behind a legacy of innovative artistry.