Page 358 - Manifest September 2024

Lot No. 213

KRISHEN KHANNA

b. 1925
EMMAUS
72 x 48 in (183 x 122 cm)
Oil on canvas
2016
Signed & Dated: Bottom Right
` 1,50,00,000 - 2,50,00,000 | $ 182,927 - 304,878
Exhibited: India Art Fair 2017, Grosvenor Gallery
Provenance: Property from a collection based in Mumbai

Krishen Khanna is a renowned modernist artist who
has made a significant impact on Indian art. He was
born on July 5, 1925, in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad,
Pakistan). He began his artistic training at the Mayo
School of Art in Lahore, where he took evening
classes. Later, he attended the Imperial Service
College in Windsor, England, and graduated in 1940.
Upon returning to India, Khanna pursued English
Literature at Government College in Lahore. In 1947,
following the partition, he and his family relocated to
Shimla, India.
During a period when abstraction was the dominant
trend, Khanna opted for a more figurative and
expressionist approach. His art is more narrative-
driven than abstract, yet it doesn’t aim for photo-
realism. His distinctive style is characterised by
bold lines and vivid colours, capturing the struggles
of the working class. Many of his well-known pieces
are inspired by mythology, allegory, music, and the
complexities of human life.