


what they say
“My art is about inclusivity. It is about involving all stakeholders of society – from Presidents, Heads of States, experts in art and culture, intelligentsia, to the masses, to the public at large, common people, daily wage labourers.
I see art as a great leveller.
It is a blessing to have been able to reach out across all cross sections of society and create ‘dialogues at the waterfront’ that evoke responses to my art, the thought behind it and the vision, from everyone, irrespective of whichever rungs of society they may belong.
More often than not, the exchange of thoughts with thinkers, evolved humanitarians, people with vision, students and the masses has enriched my art and embellished it.
The essence of it all is the distilling residue that is celebrated and carried, both by the viewer and the artist.” – Manav Gupta
Hon'ble President of India Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam's inaugural speech at the National Gallery of Modern Art's centenary celebration.
Excerpt (about his experience with art, highlighting his engagement with Manav Gupta):
“My Experience:
Some time back I composed a poem in my mother tongue and translated it into English, titled “Life Tree” along with some other poems. The message in the poems was celebration of life. While composing I never thought that a poem could be given life, beauty and creativity as I visualised. That is the time Manav came and stayed with me in Rashtrapati Bhavan to picturise the natural beauty of Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Mughal Gardens. He stayed with his family for a week and created beautiful canvases bubbling with life.
I can see in them the beauty of flowers, smell the fragrance and taste the honey in the flowers. It is as if they are speaking to me with poems.
When Manav came across my poem “Life Tree” he took seven days in the beautiful environs of the Mughal garden to transform “Life Tree” into a speaking tree. What a beautiful creation!
First time I realized painting and poem intertwined with the imagination of a painter, leads to the birth of a new creation. That new creation touches your heart smoothens feelings, and transmits beauty and peace of the combined art into every artistic person and showers happiness in his or her mind and soul”
His Highness Shihab bin Tariq al-Said, Royal Family, Oman
Excerpt (from Gupta's solo exhibition at the Oman Fine Art's Society):
“I was very delighted to have had this moment to view Manav Gupta’s work at the Oman Fine Art society exhibition. This is great work of a famous Artist from India which for us Omanis is an addition to our cultural knowledge. I wish Manav a successful tour of Oman and we look forward to seeing more of his very fine work.”
His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Druk Gyalpo of the Kingdom of Bhutan (His Majesty, the King of Bhutan)
Excerpt (on the occasion of the Indo Bhutan mural being commissioned by the Ministry of External affairs through ICCR for the BIFA Museum):
“Commissioned by Ministry of External Affairs, Govt of India for a monumental canvas mural series on Indo -Bhutan friendship, Gupta created a suite of upto twenty ft high canvases depicting four different planes of engagement and association and bonding between the two countries – the historical, cultural spiritual, environmental.
The King of Bhutan was very moved by the works and invited the artist and his wife to his Palace – for tea. What was to be a short meeting where the King conveyed his admiration for the works to the artist, turned out to be an enchanting afternoon of engagement and sharing of ideas and stories. His Highness very graciously gave some rare glimpses of his journey with the Queen, and their upcoming marriage, including priceless moments that included the crown that the King was making for the Queen.
This painting, a portrait of the queen by the artist, created specially to mark the auspicious occasion of the marriage of the Royal Couple, depicts punctuations and stories from that afternoon that the artist etched on the canvas to weave an aide memoire for the Royal couple, around the portrait, that the King presented to the Queen.
Seen here in the photograph, at a private gathering, L to R His Highness Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Her Highness Jetsun Pema, artist Manav Gupta and the then ambassador of India to Bhutan, Mr Pavan Varma.”
Mr Amitabh Kant, Sherpa G20 Summit; CEO, Niti Aayog, Government of India
“Excavations in Hymns of Clay is spiritually invigorating, culturally rejuvenating & mentally elevating. Its a brilliant exhibition by our outstanding artist of immense creativity! The exhibition brings alive India’s civilization. My congratulations to Manav. Its been a wonderful experience viewing the exhibition.”
Exhibitions attended: arth - art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001
Private Prototype Museum, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001
Smt Ranjitha Kant, Artist: “A very beautifully put exhibition- of clay. Blends so beautifully with the backdrop. Extremely creative and thought inspiring work concerning environment. Wish you all the best . More & more people have to get connected with a work like this.”
Mr Arun Goel, Election Commissioner of India, Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India
I am really delighted to see the creation by Mr. Manav Gupta today. They are unique not only in the presentation but in terms of the material used. I have felt that in our society the contemporary art is getting away from the masses in the sense that art always belonged to the masses but was and had to be patronised universally by the kings or the people who had the resources at the time but in a democratic society like ours the market forces play direct or indirect role in the patronage. But when the masses are detached, and art becomes elitist then it does not depict the society in the true form. So from that angle I compliment Mr. Manav Gupta as he has used the material which is core to the people. Earth is your concept but the material is also earth; core to the grassroot, the masses of India and we need to have more of such concepts publicised across the country so that the artist in say rural areas in tribal areas , they do not get cut off from the contemporary art. Because what is happening today is when we see the contemporary art in metros or big cities, there is not the context or the connect with the masses. So, we have the art of masses becoming craft. We are not taking the root whereby the craft should also be art. The connectivity between art and craft can happen only when the masses are involved. So, I hope IGNCA through this initiative will be taking other initiatives whereby we can bridge the gap between the contemporary art and the art of the masses which has somehow gone down to craft. We need to take it to a higher level so that contemporary art depicts the society, our society in full form and in true form and that’s the only way the art can survive. If it remains elitist, it cannot survive. Or if it is getting inspiration from outside it cannot survive because it is not depicting the feelings and the life of the masses. So I hope with this step we are changing the track and more of the artists will take inspiration from this and take the contemporary art to the masses or vice versa. Once again, my compliments to Mr. Manav Gupta who has done a great job here and has done wonderful works in the past, both in India and outside. My best wishes to him for greater success.

Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001
Dr Mahesh Sharma, Minister of Culture, Govt of India
Vision and passion of Manav ji is beyond imagination. Bringing Nature and creation of a common man ' Kumhaar' who shapes the sand to Diya is chillam to an exclusive presentation with the theme and with this a New Concept. Need to showcase this talent to every corner of World.
Exhibitions attended: arth - art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001
Private Prototype Museum, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001
Smt Uma Bharti, Minister of State, Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Govt of India
The artist has beautifully drawn attention to one of the most important resources and topics like water, climate change and sustainable development with his first of a kind deployment of using our quintessential Indian potter's produce and sustainable materials
Exhibition: Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Vandana Shiva
Scholar, Environmental activist.
We are Earth, We are soil, We are water- You make this realization come alive in your art ,Manav- Thank you for this amazing installation .And I hope you can weave a thread of consciousness across the world that we are part of nature,or we paddle Noah’s boat.
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001

Dr Yogendra Narain
Former Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha. Former Defence Secretary of India. Former Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh.
Exhibitions attended: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001<br>Private Prototype Museum, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001<br>the Yamuna Project, DLF Mall of India, NCR, Uttar Pradesh
Prof Lokesh Chandra
Scholar, MP, Former President ICCR.
The exhibition of Mr Manav Gupta being held in the illustrious precincts of IGNCA is stunning in its conception and configuration. His multiple representations of the coming into being of life and its final mergence into “shunyata”, the shimmer of rain drops in the thirst of air, the honeycombs in the sweetness of heaven, or the descent of the sacred Ganga running across shards and stones in her majestic flow, reflect the horizons of the mind of Manav, so aptly named by his parents. Manav is a derivative of ‘Manu’ or — ‘one who thinks perceives and conceives’ in contradiction of ‘pashu’ — ‘one who merely sees’. The English word ‘Man’ arose from the Sanskrit term ‘Manu’. The mind of Manav ‘Man’ celebrates the phenomena of Panchatantra (Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Sky) in the transmundane. This exhibition is an inspiring expression of the mind of Manav, the artist who wanders beyond the horizons of aerthesis. In his art the ‘rupadhatu’ transcends into the arupdhatu, the world of material form (‘rupa’) becomes ethereal in the sublime of the non-form (‘arupa’)
“mitti ka tan, mitti ka mann”
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001

Mr Ram Bahadur Rai
President, IGNCA Trust, Ministry of Culture, Government of India
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001

H.E. Richard Verma
United States High Commissioner to India
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Mr Jose Ramón Barañano Fernández
Ambassador, Spanish High Commissioner to India
We have just fallen in love with the clay rain!! It is peaceful and meaningful. It holds the tradition of India and at the same time it is full of creativity. A modern piece of art in the land of heritage so rich… It couldn’t be more awesome. Congratulations dear Manav! Warmest Regards
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001



Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal

Mrs Kiran Nadar
Founder, Kiran Nadar Museum of Modern Art
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Dr Pheroza Godrej
Chairperson, Godrej Archives Council; Art-historian, Environmentalist, Writer
Thought provoking and innovative. A beautiful and powerful work of art.
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001

Mr Hari Bhartia and Mrs Kavita Bhartia
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001 | 2017-2018


Dr Ashok K Chauhan, Dr (Mrs) Amita Chauhan,
Founder President, Chairperson | RBEF, Amity Foundation
Manavji is one of the most innovative and creative artistsnof the world. Our country is proud to have such great ambassadors like him.
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001

Dr Atul K Chauhan and Dr (Mrs) Puja Chahuan
CEO, RBEF, Amity Foundation
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi


Mr Sakti Burman, Ms Maite Delteil, Ms Maya Burman
Eminent Artists
Ganga shiv er joutaar theke nemay aashche tomar aei installation ta dekhe shei kotha monay porche ja aami porechilam aamader school er boi e. – Sakti Burman
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Ms Anjolie E Menon
Eminent Artist
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001

Mr Shyam Benegal
Film Director
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001

Mr Raj Liberhan
Former Director, India Habitat Centre
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001

Mr Sunit Tandon
Director, India Habitat Centre
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001

Mr Kamal Meetle and Mrs Anita Meetle
Indian Environmental activist and CEO of Paharpur Business Centre
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Mr Kiran Karnik
Director, Central Board of Directors of Reserve Bank of India.
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Mr Rajeeva Shah
Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission of India.
It is really amazing, The concept, the creativity, the philosophy. Everything provokes us to think and realise what we are and we should be. Many congratulations to Manav for another remarkable work. My sincere best wishes
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001


Hon'ble Former Prime Minister of India Dr I K Gujral
Excerpt (on the occasion of Gupta's solo exhibition at the Park hotel in 2003; for his movement on environment consciousness, climate change and sustainable development - 'plant a sapling on my canvas'):


Uma Sharma | Padma Bhushan Kathak Dancer, Choreographer and Teacher
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Mr Satish Mehta
Former Ambassador, Director General ICCR, Govt of India
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Ms Monica Mohta
Former Indian Ambassador to Switzerland. Former Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
I have known Manav for more than a decade now as one of the foremost contemporary artists of our country and a wonderful human being. I had a first-hand experience of the sensitivity, maturity, and depth of his versatile oeuvre, when I was the Director of Nehru Centre, London. We had hosted his exhibition, in 2010, titled ‘Ganga to Thames, on my eyot. Rainforests and the Timeless metaphors of dreams. An ode to Turner. A tribute to Tagore.’
‘Rainforests’, ‘Rivers’ and the ‘five elements of Nature’, and how people from different parts of the world relate to the issues of water, are recurring themes in his art journey.
At the Nehru Centre, he laid out a river full of plastics, amidst the exhibition, improvising with limited resources and material, to draw home the message of sustainable living – a consistent echo in his art practice since his very early beginnings, much before climate change became widespread conversation.
Viewers were drawn to the mastery of light and colour in his paintings at the exhibition. I was not surprised at all when two of his works from the series, that were chosen by two different London based NGOs, for fundraisers for the underprivileged, did so well – one at Christie’s, London and the other at a Philip de Pury auction at Kensington Palace.
Over the last decade his work has grown manifold. I had a chance to attend one of his public art projects at the India Habitat Centre, Delhi in 2015 and experience the invention he is now known for – that of transforming quintessential Indian pottery into an international vocabulary of contemporary art, taking local to global. He had created a river in the heart of the city, as a large-scale installation. What was particularly interesting is that he did not stop there. On the bedrock of his creation, he invited public participation. A call to people to light a lamp at his ‘Ganga Waterfront’ brought a soul connect to the sacred river of our land. And he took its context beyond borders and religion to a global perspective of creating consciousness about respecting water and rivers, bringing environmental responsibility. It had an overwhelming effect. Everyone present carried back a lasting message that his art brought to light. Over and above, he created an outreach programme at the Waterfront with performances by leading dancers and musicians, dialogues between important stakeholders of society, to create an inclusive sensibility to his art’s message. His environmental art movement had imbibed clay as its medium in 2013, in South Africa, where he first laid out a shrinking river, with inverted earthen lamps as droplets of water, at the floor of the National Museum, Pretoria. And he has built a formidable legacy of his art since then, addressing pressing global issues of sustainable development, water and climate change.
His ‘excavations in hymns of clay’ series and his ‘arth – art for earth’ project are moving; the likes of which should equal, if not stand out, amidst the highest standards of quality in the international art world. And in the annals of history. His transformation of ‘chillam’ into ‘Rain’ and ‘Beehives’ and inverting the earthen lamp into a droplet of water to form the ‘River’, stand testimony to his power of thought, ideas, genius and his artistic brilliance. People have praised his innovations and the way he takes his art to the masses, the way his art embraces open sylvan spaces, trees, as well as architecture.
Manav is truly unique. And so is his art. His contribution to our great nation’s art and culture landscape is unquestionable. I congratulate him on his twenty-five-year retrospective and wish him all success in his future endeavors.
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Dr Dnyaneshwar Manohar Mulay
Former Consul General of India, New York. Former High Commissioner of India, Maldives
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001

Mr Anil Wadhwa
Former Indian Ambassador to Oman
Exhibition hosted by OSFA, Muscat Oman | Travelling Trilogy – 2007

Lord Meghnad Desai
Indian born – British Economist and former Labour Politician.
Water and clay are the two eternal constants of life. We are in the danger of running out of water unless we preserve it. Let us hope Manav Gupta is successful in reminding us of our responsibility to respect water and earth.
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Pavan K Varma and Renuka Verma
Former Member Rajya Sabha, Former Indian High Commissioner to Bhutan
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Mr Richard Celeste and Jacqueline Lundquist
Former Ambassador to India under the Clinton Administration
Roosevelt House, New Delhi

Dominique Girard
Dominique Girard, French Ambassador to India awarding Manav Gupta the first Sanatan Kalakriti Puraskar (Award). Excellence in the Field of Art

Ms Mariela Cruz Alvarez
Ambassador, Costa Rica High Commissioner to India
Breathtaking overwhelmed by Bliss.
Water – Forests
Jungle – Love
Rain – Spirit
Thank you Manav!
Beautiful beautiful work of art and highly evocative
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001

Mr Nader Patel
Ambassador, Canadian High Commissioner to India
Manav, Thank you for such a warm welcome to your studio. Your creativity and talent is inspiring and we are truly impressed by your vision and expansive depth of presence. We look forward to exploring collaboration in or with Canada. All the best and warmest wishes for your ongoing success!
Beautiful installations with a beautiful message. Congratulations Manav in such a thoughtful exhibit.
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001

Mr Dinesh Dhamija
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001

Shri Deepika Maharaj Singh and Mr Aditya Maharaj Singh
ART & SOUL WHAT A BEAUTIFUL COMBINATION…. BLESS YOU & MAY THE JOURNEY LEAD YOU BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES OF THE EARTH.
WONDERFUL CONCEPT! I LOVE THE IDEA! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK & MAYBE GET A ” PATENT” ON THIS CONCEPT.
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001

Mr and Mrs Navneet Soni
Chief Income Tax Commissioner
Always a treat to see Manav’s art. A work of immense innovation.
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001

Ms Vinita Srivastav
Executive Director (Heritage), Railway Board of India
Ethereal, God bless your heart!
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001
Mrs Rasil Basu
Rain-Sculpture Garden Prototype-In Loving Memory of Rasil and Romen Basu
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001

President's Lecture Series: Manav Gupta
The President’s Lecture, Minneapolis College of Art & Design, Minnesota, USA | November 12th, 2015
Mr Shatrugan Sinha, MP
Gupta’s Exhibition hosted by The Leela Palace, Bangalore, India

Mr Ram Jeth Malani, former Minister of Law and Justice of India
Gupta’s Exhibition hosted by The Leela Palace, Bangalore, India

Mr Ramkrishna Hegde, Former Chief Minister of Karnataka
Gupta’s Exhibition hosted by The Leela Palace, Bangalore, India
Smt Shiela Dixit, Former Chief Minister of Delhi
“Plant a Sapling on my Canvas” Gupta’s movement on environment consciousness at his exhibition Hosted by the Park Hotel, New Delhi
Lectures Talks Panel Discussions. Dialogues at the Waterfront.
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001
Exhibition: The Yamuna Project, 2017, DLF Mall of India, NCR, Uttar Pradesh
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Mr. B N Goswami
Brilliant. Moving.
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Mr. Al Mittle
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Ms Neelima Agarwal
Editor in Chief – Luxury Chronicle
Manav! You’ve left me speechless. Rather your art. Read my report for more. Much success to you.
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001

Mr. Rohit Khattar
Chairman, Old World Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.
Absolutely splendid seeing that how there are actually no boundaries to the expression of art. God bless and keep creating.
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Mr and Mrs S S Mahdi
Former Vice President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001

Raghu Rai
Award Winning Indian Photographer and Photojournalist
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Sonali Bhagvati
Member Delhi Urban Arts Commission, Interior Designer
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
Mr Kamal Meattle | Indian environmental activist, CEO of Paharpur Business Centre & Software Technology Incubator Park based in New Delhi
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Kapila Vatsyayan, Scholar- Indian classical dance, art, architecture, and art history.

Ms Shyama Chona. Founder President of Tamana Association, former Principal of Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram.
Private Prototype Museum, Sculpture Garden, Amrita Shergill Marg, New Delhi 110001
Dr Kusum Ansal | Author, Poet, Philanthrophist
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001


Mr Uttam Pacharne | Chairman, Lalit Kala Academy
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001


Ms Sharmila Tagore | Indian Actress
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Mr Anoop Jalota | Indian singer, musician and actor
Exhibition: arth – art for earth | 2018 | IGNCA, Ministry of Culture, 11 Mansingh Road, New Delhi 110001

Mr Amol Palekar | Indian Actor
Rain, the Ganga Waterfront along Time Machine | 2015 | India Habitat Centre, New Delhi