Krishen Khanna @100
A very visible part of the Indian modern art scene for 75 years, he has mattered to the art world as much as the art world has mattered to him
Updated At : 07:36 AM Jun 22, 2025 IST
‘The Great Procession’, Krishen Khanna’s iconic mural at the ITC Maurya, took four years to complete. Photos courtesy: Karan Khanna
He is old and slightly infirm, but active. Still paints large canvases, draws, can recite from memory ‘Four Quartets’ of TS Eliot, Yeats’ ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ and even a whole poem of Conrad Aiken, a barely remembered American poet. He is full of laughter and fun. He remembers his artist friends, the warm friendships he enjoyed with them over the decades. They grew in togetherness to which he contributed in no small measure. Krishen Khanna — who would be 100 years of age on July 5 — has been a very visible part of the modern art scene of India in the past 75 years. He has mattered to the art world as much as the art world has mattered to him.
