Krishen Khanna

Khanna’s first significant artwork sale was Spring Nude in the late 1950s, bought by nuclear physicist Homi Bhabha, marking his entry into professional art circles.

The Great Procession mural took five years (completed in 1997) to paint and assemble at ITC Maurya’s central lobby, showcasing Khanna’s meticulous hand-painting technique on a massive curved dome.

Despite being largely self-taught, Khanna passed the Oxford and Cambridge School of Certificate with arts subjects in 1942 during WWII, demonstrating early academic art aptitude.

Krishen Khanna’s vivid depictions of everyday Indian street life and migrant laborers introduced an empathetic narrative to modern Indian art, influencing the Progressive Artists' Group and beyond. His monumental mural at ITC Maurya Hotel remains a rare example of large-scale, hand-painted Indian art in a corporate space, bridging traditional themes with contemporary public art. His recognition by institutions like the Lalit Kala Akademi and the Indian government helped legitimize genre painting as a serious art form in India.