LPS
Indian Civil Servant

Laxmi Prasad Sihare

Born 7 November 1929 · verify

Organized the first major Auguste Rodin exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art.

Laxmi Prasad Sihare was an Indian civil service officer, curator, art writer and the director-general of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA). It was during his directorship, an art exhibition on Auguste Rodin was organized by the museum.

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A detail that
surprised us

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In 1979, Laxmi Prasad Sihare legally prevented the auction of the Jacob Diamond, the world's fifth-largest uncut diamond, stopping its sale to foreign buyers decades before his NGMA directorship.

The Story

1
In 1971, Laxmi Prasad Sihare took charge as director-general of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), steering one of India's premier art institutions through a critical phase of cultural preservation.
2
🎨 In 1984, Sihare organized a landmark exhibition on Auguste Rodin at NGMA, bringing the French sculptor's works into the Indian public eye for the first time, a move that challenged traditional museum curation norms.
3💎 In 1979, long before his NGMA tenure, Sihare secured a court order halting the public auction of the Nizam of Hyderabad's jewels, including the colossal Jacob Diamond, preventing their sale to foreign bidders and preserving a key piece of India's heritage.
4📚 Between 1980 and 1990, he authored influential monographs such as 'Oriental Influences on Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian' and 'Paul Klee: Sixty Oil Paintings, Watercolours, Pastels and Drawings (1909-1939)', blending art history with cross-cultural analysis.

🏅 Awards & Honours

—
Padma Shri

🔍 One thing most people don't know

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In 1979, Sihare obtained a court injunction that stopped the sale of the Nizam of Hyderabad's jewels, including the Jacob Diamond, protecting them from overseas buyers during a time when auctioning royal assets abroad was common.

📸 Through the Years

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🗓️ A Life in Moments

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Birth
Birth of Laxmi Prasad Sihare
Born on November 7, 1929; specific state unverified.
1929
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Career
Appointed Director-General of NGMA
Sihare began his leadership at the National Gallery of Modern Art, overseeing major exhibitions and institutional growth.
1971
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Career
Legal intervention on Nizam's Jewels
Obtained court order preventing auction of the Nizam of Hyderabad’s jewels, including the Jacob Diamond, protecting cultural heritage.
1979
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Career
Rodin Exhibition at NGMA
Organized an art exhibition focused on Auguste Rodin, significantly expanding NGMA's modern art outreach.
1984
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Award
Awarded Padma Bhushan
Received the Padma Bhushan for contributions to arts and civil service.
1987
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Career
Retirement from Government Service
Retired as director-general of NGMA after two decades of service.
1991
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Death
Death of Laxmi Prasad Sihare
Passed away, ending his role in shaping Indian art curation and heritage protection.
1993
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🗝️Discoveries

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01 / 04
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

During his 1984 tenure at NGMA, Sihare curated an unprecedented exhibition on Auguste Rodin, introducing Indian audiences to modern Western sculpture in a way never seen before at the museum.

02 / 04
🏆ACHIEVEMENT

Sihare’s 1987 Padma Bhushan award was unusual for an art curator, highlighting his dual identity as both a civil servant and a scholar in the arts.

03 / 04
🔍LESSER KNOWN

His scholarly book 'Oriental Influences on Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian: 1909-1917' traced specific Asian motifs influencing European abstract art, a niche cross-cultural study rare at that time.

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🌱 What changed because of them

Laxmi Prasad Sihare's intervention to halt the sale of the Nizam's jewels preserved a priceless cultural asset within India, influencing future heritage protection laws. His leadership at NGMA introduced international art dialogues through exhibitions like the Rodin showcase, setting new standards for Indian museum curation. His scholarly works bridged Eastern and Western art histories, enriching academic discourse and inspiring subsequent art historians and curators.

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