# Om Prakash Sharma (artist)

Om Prakash Sharma (born 14 December 1932) is an Indian painter, visual artist, professor, writer and sitarist based in New Delhi, India. He was bestowed with National Award for Painting of Lalit Kala Akademi in 1969, by the President of India. Sharma has won All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society's Annual Art Exhibitions thrice in 1966, 1967 and 1969, and has been awarded with multiple awards at various state exhibitions.

## Early life and education

Sharma was born in 1932, in Bawal, Haryana. He attended Meerut College where he graduated in drawing and paintings in 1951. Sharma earned The National Diploma in Fine Arts in 1958 from Delhi Polytechnic with First Class and Distinction. From 1964 to 1966, Sharma attended Columbia University and Art Students League of New York as a Fulbright scholar where he completed his postgraduate studies in Fine Arts and Art History.

## Career
### Art educator

After completing his graduation in 1951, Sharma joined D.A.V. School, Paharganj, New Delhi, as an art teacher, where he worked for five years. In 1956, Sharma was appointed as senior art teacher at Government Model School, Ludlow Castle, Delhi where he worked till 1961. From 1961 to 1981, Sharma served as the head of the art department at School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. In 1981, Sharma was appointed as the Dean at College of Art, Delhi where he served till 1992.

### Artist

Om Prakash Sharma's career as an artist spans over six decades. His work as an artist has been centered around New Delhi. Sharma is known primarily as a practitioner of a uniquely Indian visual style. Sharma started his career as an artist in 1956 during annual exhibition at All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society in Delhi. His paintings has been exhibited at over 100 solo and group exhibition. His art works has been part of permanent collections at various art galleries and museums including Berlin Museum, Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Moscow and Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan. He is regarded as one of the founders of the Neo-Tantra art movement.
Sharma started playing sitar in 1956 when he came in contact with Pandit Ravi Shankar, who helped him in identifying the traditional iconography of different ragas which inspired him to paint 25 Ragmala paintings in water colors. Influence of music has always inspired visual rhythms of Sharma's work. Sharma has written about art in several art magazines and art columns. He has been an invited keynote speaker at various public talks organized by art societies, museums and institutions in India and abroad, on his paintings in context of contemporary art and the tradition of tantra art. He had also held positionof advisor to various art committees such Boards of education, Parliament House Complex, HUDCO, Urban Arts Commission and several University Counsels. Sharma has also authored several books including Art in Art in 1994, Om Prakash - Forty Years 1958 - 1998 in 1999 and Om Prakash- Sixty Years 1951 - 2012 in 2013.
Sharma has received several awards, including three first prizes in Annual Art Exhibitions of the AIFACS, New Delhi. He was awarded the National Award for Painting of Lalit Kala Akademi in 1969. He was also awarded the Delhi State Award from the Chief Minister of Delhi in 2003. He holds Honorary membership of Russian Academy of Arts, Moscow. In 2008, Sharma received Life Time Achievement Award from ART MALL, New Delhi.

## Awards and accolades

* 1966- First prize at All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society's Annual Art Exhibitions
* 1967- First prize at All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society's Annual Art Exhibitions
* 1969- First prize at All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society's Annual Art Exhibitions
* 1969 - National Award for Painting of Lalit Kala Akademi.
* 2003 - Delhi State Award from the Chief Minister of Delhi.
* Honorary membership of Russian Academy of Arts, Moscow.
* Lifetime Achievement Award by ART MALL, New Delhi in 2008