Uttam Nepali | |
|---|---|
उत्तम नेपाली | |
.jpg) Uttam Nepali | |
| Born | Uttam Prasad Karmacharya (1937-04-30)30 April 1937 |
| Died | 21 July 2021(2021-07-21) (aged 84) Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu,Nepal |
| Nationality | Nepali |
| Alma mater | Lucknow College of Arts and Crafts |
| Occupation(s) | Artist, writer and actor |
| Spouse | Mandira Karmacharya |
Uttam Prasad Karmacharya, better known asUttam Nepali (Nepali:उत्तम नेपाली; 30 April 1937 – 21 July 2021), was a Nepali visual artist, writer, and actor. Amodernist painter, he was one of the pioneers ofabstract art and experimentation in Nepal. He was also instrumental in establishing formal art education in Nepal. He producedabstractionist,expressionist andsurrealist paintings throughout the 1960s and 70s, which were exhibited throughout Asia.
Nepali acted in two films in the early 1960s; he also published poetry. He was a lifetime member ofNepal Academy since 2000. Among his awards were National Genius Award, 2014, andSuprawal Janasewa Tritiya. He was married and had four children. He was diagnosed withAlzheimer's disease in later life. He died of cardiovascular problems in July 2021, aged 84.
Uttam Nepali was born Uttam Prasad Karmacharya[1] on 30 April 1937 (Bikram Sambat: 18 Baisakh 1994) inKathmandu, Nepal.[2][3] His father wanted him to become a businessman. However, he was determined to become a painter.[1] He studied arts at theLucknow College of Arts and Crafts.[3] In 1967, he graduated from theSir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art, Mumbai.[4]
In 1959, after completing his studies fromLucknow, Nepali returned to Kathmandu where he held anexhibition at theTri-Chandra College.[1][5] After the exhibition, KingMahendra bought many of his paintings.[1] In the beginning, Nepali used to paint about Hindu gods likeGanesha; later, he moved towardsmodern art.[1] Sometimes Nepali used to write poem verses in his paintings, especially, written by poetsBhupi Sherchan, andBhim Nidhi Tiwari.[6] Throughout the 1960s and 70s, he produced paintings employing modernist forms like expressionism, abstractionism, abstract-expressionism and surrealism, and incorporating traditional Nepali themes, paper and colour.[7]
His works have been exhibited in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Japan, South Korea, theSoviet Union, Australia, among others.[8] Nepali was one of the first people to establish art education in Nepal.[3] He was awarded various accolades for his work including the National Genius Award in 2014 and the Suprabal Janasewa Tritiya Award.[9] In 2000, he was awarded to be a lifetime member of theNepal Academy.[3][10]
He acted in two Nepali films,Aama (1964) andHijo Aaaj Bholi (1964).[1] In 2004, he published his poetry collection titledUttam Nepalika Kavitaharu.[6]
He was married to Mandira Karmacharya; they had two sons and two daughters.[11][1]
Nepali died on 21 July 2021 due toheart problems, in theTribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.[3][10] The same day, he was cremated at thePashupati Aryaghat.[12] He had previously been diagnosed withrespiratory, heart, andAlzheimer's diseases.[8]