Early Life and Artistic Beginnings
Born in Shimla, India, Avinash Chandra was raised in both Shimla and Delhi. His family initially intended for him to study engineering, and for the first six months of his enrollment at the Delhi Polytechnic Art School, his family remained unaware that he was pursuing art. He eventually graduated in 1951 with a first class degree in Fine Art and joined the faculty staff, where his students included Paramjit Singh, Arpita Singh, and Gopi Gajwani.
In 1954, Chandra won first prize at the First National Art Exhibition of Art in New Delhi. He later received the gold medal Prix Européen in 1962. In 1956, he moved to Golders Green, London, with his first wife, the artist Prem Lata Chandra, who had been awarded a scholarship to study at the Central School of Art.
Exhibitions and Legacy
Chandra's work has been featured in various exhibitions and documentaries, including a BBC Monitor documentary presented by W.G. Archer and a 2018 BBC documentary titled Whoever Heard of a Black Artist?. His solo exhibitions include a show at the Hamilton Galleries in London in 1965 and an exhibition at the Horizon Gallery, London, in 1987. He was also part of the exhibition The Other Story: Afro-Asian artists in post-war Britain at the Hayward Gallery in 1989.
His artistic output includes murals in glass created for the Anglo-Dutch Cigar Company in Finchley and for the Pilkington Brothers Glass company in St Helens, Merseyside. His works are held in several collections, including:
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