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Sunil Das, pioneering Indian artist and National Award recipient, dies at 76

artist · 2026-04-20

Sunil Das passed away from a heart attack at age 76. The artist received India's Shiromani Kala Puraskar National Award while still a student, making him its youngest recipient. His work is held in collections at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, Japan's Glenbarra Art Museum, and Germany's Ludwig Museum. A scholarship enabled Das to study at Paris's Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts. During this period, a visit to Spain sparked his enduring fascination with equine and bull imagery. Das was born in 1939 and died in 2015.

Key facts

  • Sunil Das died of a heart attack
  • He was 76 years old
  • Das was the youngest recipient of India's Shiromani Kala Puraskar National Award
  • He received the award while still a student
  • Das studied at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris on scholarship
  • A visit to Spain during his studies inspired his lifelong interest in horses and bulls
  • His work is in the collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, Glenbarra Art Museum in Japan, and Ludwig Museum in Germany
  • He was born in 1939 and died in 2015

Entities

Artists

  • Sunil Das

Institutions

  • The Times of India
  • National Gallery of Modern Art
  • Glenbarra Art Museum
  • Ludwig Museum
  • Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts

Locations

  • India
  • New Delhi
  • Paris
  • France
  • Spain
  • Japan
  • Germany

Sources