Anupam Sud

Anupam Sud was born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab in 1944, however grew up in Simla, Himachal Pradesh. Sud studied at the Delhi College of Art from 1962 to 1967. Later, she studied printmaking at the Slade School of Fine Art, London from 1971 to 1972 under a British Council scholarship. 

When she returned to India, Sud began her intense interest in exploring clothed and nude human figures through etching. She drew inspiration from both male and female identities and sexuality. Similarly, through symbolism and metaphors, Sud engages with socially relevant topics, moody depictions of interrelations between the sexes, and the human predicament. She developed her style while she was under the guidance of Somnath Hore. 

Working mainly with intaglio prints, she combines her knowledge of different intaglio processes with lithography and screen-printing. She creates her etchings by using zinc plates, a difficult medium that requires both patience and precision. One of the finest intaglio printmakers in India, Sud is equally adept at lithography and screen-printing, and is also known for her fine drawings and paintings. Her work evolved from architectural forms, limbs, and human figures from the mid 1970s to largely feminist subjects. 

Sud headed the printmaking department at the Delhi College of Art for several years until her retirement and has been a teacher and mentor to many of the young artists of today. She was the youngest member of ‘Group 8,’ an association of artists at the College, founded to increase awareness of printmaking in India. Her work is in the collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The Peabody Museum, United States; and the Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan. Additionally, she has been the recipient of awards including the Lalit Kala Akademi Award; the President’s Gold Medal; Kala Ratna Award; and the Egyptian International Print Biennale Award. Sud lives and works in Mandi, New Delhi.