J. Sultan Ali

1920

Is born on 12 September in Bombay.

1945

Completes his six-year diploma course in painting from Government School of Art and Craft, Madras.

1946

Wins the Government of Madras scholarship to study textile designing at the Government Textile Institute, Madras. His training as a textile designer reflects in his early works of the 1950s. Has a solo exhibition at Hindi Prachar Sabha, Madras.

1947

Completes his diploma in photography from the Lingham’s Institute of Photography, Madras.

1949

Has an exhibition at the Theosophical Society, Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh.

1951-54

Teaches at the Rishi Valley School, Madanpalle. Surrounded by young students, this stint brings spontaneity and energy to his work.

1954

Joins the Progressive Painters Association, Madras.

1956

Wins an award for his painting, Winter Night, from the Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar. Is part of a group exhibition on contemporary Indian art organised by the Government of India and sent to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and the U.S.S.R.

1956-89

Participates in Lalit Kala Akademi’s national exhibitions of art.

1957

Wins an award from the Shilpa Kala Parishad, Patna. Participates in the first ‘South East Asian Exhibition’, Manila.

1958

Wins the Punjab Government’s silver medal from the Academy of Fine Arts, Amritsar.

1959

Is part of a group show on contemporary Indian Art in Villa Hugel, Germany. Joins the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, as exhibition officer. Stays in the position till 1963. This is when he comes across a book by British anthropologist Verrier Elwin, considered the foremost authority on tribals in India. He tours Bastar, the largest tribal district of India in the central region of the country, making way for tribal vocabulary in his art.

1960

Is part of a group show in U.A.E. organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi.

1961

Is part of a group show in the Latin American countries organised by the Government of India.

1962

Participates in the ‘1st International Exhibition of Fine Arts’, Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. Participates in the ‘Commonwealth Art Today’ exhibition at the Commonwealth Institute, London. Is part of ‘Indian Art Today’, a group show in Bulgaria organised by the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi.

1963

Wins the President of India’s Silver Plaque at the 33rd Annual Art Exhibition of All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi. Has a solo show at the Kumar Art Gallery, New Delhi.

1964

The exhibition ‘Recent Paintings by Sultan Ali’ is held at the Kumar Art Gallery, New Delhi. Participates in an exhibition organised by the Krupp Family along with the cultural authority of the Federal Republic of Germany at Essen, West Germany. His show, ‘Exhibition of Drawings’, is held at the Triveni Gallery, New Delhi, and Chemould Gallery, Bombay.

1965

Is part of the group show, ‘Art Now from India’, at Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, U. K. The exhibition ‘Fifteen Paintings and Three Drawings by J. Sultan Ali’ is held at the Kumar Art Gallery, New Delhi.

1966

Wins the national award for drawing at the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. Participates in the 33rd Venice Biennale, and the Biennale of Lugano, Switzerland.

1967

Participates in the 9th Biennale of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Participates in the 36th annual exhibition of the Fine Arts & Crafts Society, School of Art, Chandigarh, organised by the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi. One-man shows are held at the Kumar Art Gallery, New Delhi, and Gallery Chemould, Bombay.

1969

Participates in the first International Triennale, New Delhi. Has an exhibition of his works at Kumar Art Gallery, New Delhi. Takes up residence at Cholamandal Artists’ Village outside Madras. Takes a break from colour in the coming years so as not to distract from the message of the painting.

1970

John Parker, an American, visits Cholamandal to view Sultan Ali’s works.

1971

The exhibition, ‘Drawings by J. Sultan Ali’, is held at the Dhoomimal Gallery, New Delhi.

1972

Participates in the second International Triennale in New Delhi. ‘Bhayanak Rasa’, his solo show, is held at the Dhoomimal Gallery, New Delhi.

1973

The exhibition, ‘Ink Drawings by J. Sultan Ali’, is held at the India Ink Gallery, Los Angeles. ‘Sapodo: Paintings Based on the Theme of the Serpent’, an important exhibition, is held at the Dhoomimal Gallery, New Delhi.

1975

Participates in the third International Triennale, New Delhi. His solo show is held at the Sarla Art Centre, Madras.

1976

Wins an award from the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore.

1978

Wins the national painting award from the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. Participates in the fourth International Triennale, New Delhi. ‘Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings on the Theme of Life by J. Sultan Ali and Graphic Prints by Mumtaz J. A. Khan’ is held at the Surya Galerie, Freinsheim, Federal Republic of Germany.

1979

Participates in the exhibition, ‘Modern Asian Art: India, China and Japan, Part I’, at the Fukuoka Art Museum, Japan.

1981

One-man show is held at the Dhoomimal Gallery, New Delhi.

1982

Is part of the ‘Indian Contemporary Art’ exhibition, Federal Republic of Germany.

1983

Participates in the All India Artists Conference, Calcutta.

1984

Is part of the exhibition, ‘Neo Tantra’, organised by the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, for display in the Federal Republic of Germany.

1985

Wins the silver plaque of the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society for his contribution to the 2nd Veteran Artists Exhibition, New Delhi.

1986

Is conferred fellowship of the Tamil Nadu Oviam Nankalai Kuzhu (Tamil Nadu State Lalit Kala Akademi). A retrospective is held at the same time. Participates in the 3rd Asian Art Biennale, Bangladesh. Has a one-man show at Sakshi Gallery, Bombay.

1989

Has a solo exhibition at Iwalewahaus University of Bayreuth, West Germany.

1990

Has an exhibition of his drawings at Gallerie 88, Calcutta. Passes away on 12 September.