B. N. Goswamy | |
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| Born | Brijinder Nath Goswamy (1933-08-15)15 August 1933 |
| Died | 17 November 2023(2023-11-17) (aged 90) Chandigarh, India |
| Occupation(s) | Art historian and critic |
| Spouse | Karuna Goswamy |
| Children | 1 daughter; 1 son |
| Parent | B. L. Goswamy |
| Awards | Padma Shri Padma Bhushan |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Panjab University |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Panjab University |
Brijinder Nath Goswamy (15 August 1933 – 17 November 2023) was an Indianart critic,art historian, andvice chairman of the Sarabhai Foundation ofAhmedabad, which runs theCalico Museum of Textiles.[1] Goswamy was best known for his scholarship onPahari painting[2] and Indian miniature paintings.[3] He was the author of over 20 books on arts and culture,[1][4] includingSakti Burman: A Private Universe, a monograph on the life and works ofSakti Burman, renowned Bengali painter[5] andMasters of Indian Painting 1100-1900, a treatise on Indian miniature art.[6] The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of thePadma Shri in 1998 and followed it up with the third highest honour of thePadma Bhushan in 2008.[7]
Brijinder Nath Goswamy was born on 15 August 1933 atSargodha of thePunjab province (presently in Pakistan) ofBritish India,[1] to B.L. Goswamy, a District and Sessions Judge.[8] After the early schooling at various schools in the province, he did his intermediate studies at the Hindu College,Amritsar and secured his master's degree fromPanjab University in 1954. He joined theIndian Administrative Service in 1956 and after working in the Bihar cadre for two years, he resigned from the service in 1958 to continue his studies in art.[9] He returned to Panjab University and did research onKangra painting of the lowerHimalayas and its social backdrop, under the guidance of the renowned historian, Hari Ram Gupta, to obtain a doctoral degree (PhD) in 1961.[1] It is reported that his examiners wereArthur Llewellyn Basham, theIndologist, and the art critic,W.G. Archer.[8]
During the course of his research, he joined Panjab University as a member of its faculty ofArt History, where he would spend his entire career and eventually superannuate as a professor. While working there, he took a break and worked as a visiting professor at the South Asian Institute of theUniversity of Heidelberg from 1973 till 1981.[1] He also served as a visiting professor at various other international universities such asCalifornia, Berkeley,Pennsylvania andZurich.[8] At Panjab University, he developed the Museum of Fine Arts, as its director,[10] and the museum holds 1200 creations of contemporary Indian art.[11] Besides his academic career, he served as the vice chairman of theCentre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), a nodal agency under theGovernment of India providing training to educators who are involved in educational programmes on Indian culture.[1] He has been a member of the Governing Committee of theIndian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and has chaired the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi.[1]
Goswamy was married to Karuna, an art historian, academic, and a former professor ofPanjab University. The couple had one son and one daughter, Apurva and Malavika.[8] He lived inChandigarh,[3] where he died on 17 November 2023, at the age of 90.[12]
Goswamy is considered by many as one of the most prominent scholars of Indian miniature painting.[3] He is known to have specialised knowledge ofPahari painting, a genre of traditional miniature painting originated in the hills ofPunjab region.[2] His 1968 article,Pahari Painting: The Family as the Basis of Style,[13] is a study of this genre, where he is reported to have been successful in unearthing the genealogy of renowned miniaturists such as Pandit Seu,Nainsukh andManaku.[14] He published five books on this topic,Nainsukh of Guler: A Great Indian Painter from a Small Hill-State,[15]Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India[16]Painters at the Sikh Court,[17]Essence of Indian Art[18] andMasters of Indian Painting 1100-1900.[6] Collaborating withEberhard Fischer, thePadma Shri winning Swiss-based German art historian and the co-author of a few of his books, he has staged a series of shows, under the title,Wonder of the Age, in many parts of the world.[2]
His work,The Spirit of Indian Painting: Close Encounters with 101 Great Works, 1100-1900[19] is a treatise on selected creations from Jain manuscripts to Indian miniatures.[20] He has published 20 books to date, apart from several articles he has published in Indian and international journals and magazines.[1]A Jainesque Sultanate Shahnama and the context of pre-Mughal painting in India,[21]A Place Apart: Painting in Kutch, 1720-1820,[22]Painted visions: The Goenka collection of Indian paintings,[23]Ranga Roopa Gods, Words, Images,[24]The Word is Sacred, Sacred is the Word: The Indian Manuscript Tradition,[25]Domains of Wonder: Selected Masterworks of Indian Painting[26] andI See No Stranger: Sikh Early Art and Devotion,[27] are some of his other notable books.A Layered World is a 40,000-word audio-visual presentation prepared by Goswamy for Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi.[28] He also wrote a regular column inThe Tribune, titledArt n Soul[8] and delivered keynote addresses and lectures, in India and abroad.[29]
When Goswamy retired from his academic career, Panjab University made him the Emeritus Professor.[3] He held theJawaharlal Nehru Fellowship from 1969 to 1970[30] and the Sarabhai Fellowship in 1994.[1] He was also a Mellon Senior Fellow of theNational Humanities Center,North Carolina.[1] The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 1998.[7] He was again included in theRepublic Day Honours list in 2008, this time for the third highest honour of thePadma Bhushan.[31]
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