Rajeev Sethi
Born 24 May 1949 · Delhi
Designed the Asian Games Village in New Delhi for the 1982 Asian Games.
🔔 Add birthday reminderRajeev Sethi is an Indian designer, scenographer and art curator.
✨ A detail that surprised us
In 1960, Rajeev Sethi transformed nightlife in Delhi by designing its very first discotheque, the Cellar at Regal Building, Connaught Place.
1. 🎨 In 1960, Rajeev Sethi designed Delhi's first discotheque, Cellar at Regal Building, Connaught Place, marking an early fusion of design and nightlife in India.
2. 🌍 During the 1970s, Sethi studied graphic art in Paris on a scholarship, working under Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17 and collaborating with Pierre Cardin on the Laboratoire d’Idées exhibition.
3. 🏛️ In 1995, he founded the Asian Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Indian artisans and preserving cultural heritage through design initiatives.
4. ✈️ By 2014, Sethi had designed and curated the Jaya He GVK New Museum at Mumbai's Terminal 2 airport, covering 3 km with 80,000 sq ft of wall space showcasing India’s cultural diversity.
5. In 1986, at age 37, Sethi received the Padma Bhushan from the Government of India, recognizing his innovative contributions to art and design.
6. He was honored with the Order of Merit of the State of Lower Saxony, Germany, in 2001 for his work on the Basic Needs Pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hannover.
7. Sethi was a founding member of INTACH and served on its first Governing Council, influencing heritage conservation policies in India.
8. ❓ How did Sethi's early mentorship under Western designers like Charles and Ray Eames shape his vision for integrating Indian crafts into modern spaces?
Awards & Honours
- 🏅Padma Shri
🔍 One thing most people don't know
In 1985, Sethi designed three exhibitions for the Festival of India in the U.S., including MELA! and Amrr, collaborating with the Smithsonian Institution, which introduced Indian art to an American audience on a grand scale.
🖼️ Through the Years
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📅 The Journey
🗝️ Discoveries
🎥 Speeches & Recordings
Dilli Dil Se with Rajeev Sethi
YouTube📖 Curated Sources
🌱 What changed because of them
Rajeev Sethi redefined Indian design by bridging traditional crafts with contemporary aesthetics, notably through his creation of the Asian Heritage Foundation, which empowered artisans nationwide. His curation of the Jaya He GVK New Museum at Mumbai's airport set a new standard for cultural representation in public spaces, influencing heritage preservation and design in India and abroad. As a founding member of INTACH, his efforts helped institutionalize conservation practices in the country.
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