Sekhar Roy Sr. is a senior contemporary Indian painter whose practice spans over four decades and is closely associated with the evolution of modern and contemporary art in Bengal. Born in 1957, Roy received his formal training from the Government College of Art & Craft, Kolkata, where he developed a strong grounding in drawing, composition, and painterly discipline. His long-standing contribution to Indian art was formally recognised with the Senior Fellowship Award (2000) from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, one of the country’s most prestigious honours for artists.
Roy’s work is marked by intellectual rigor, emotional restraint, and a sustained engagement with human presence, urban experience, and cultural memory. His early exhibitions already revealed a mature visual language, and over time his practice has evolved without losing its conceptual clarity or painterly sensitivity. Watercolour has been a particularly significant medium for him, though his oeuvre extends across other painterly formats as well.
He has held numerous solo exhibitions at major galleries and institutions, including the British Council, Kolkata (1985); Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata (1987); Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (1991, 1994); Gallery 88, Kolkata (1991, 1993, 2000, 2004); Gallery Espace, New Delhi (1992); Gallery Kunst im Kotten, Solingen, Germany (1995); Artworld, Chennai (2000); Gallery Crimson, Bengaluru (2000, 2002); Arushi Art Gallery, New Delhi (2004, 2005); and Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata (2007, 2012). He has also participated in notable two-person exhibitions in Singapore, Dubai, and Houston (USA).
Roy’s participation in curated and group exhibitions has been extensive and international, including Urban Narratives at Espace Louis Vuitton, Tokyo (2013); Go See India in Sweden (2010); Artists from Bengal at the Nehru Centre, London (2006); Art of Bengal at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi (2006); and Art Against Terrorism at Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata (2009), among many others. He has also exhibited alongside major figures of Indian modernism, including M. F. Husain.
In addition to exhibitions, Roy has actively participated in international workshops, art camps, and cultural exchanges across Japan, Europe, the USA, Southeast Asia, China, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, contributing to a sustained global dialogue.
His works are held in major institutional and corporate collections, including the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Lalit Kala Akademi, Ministry of Defence (Govt. of India), British Deputy High Commission, Taj Group of Hotels, ITC Group, BNP Paribas, and numerous distinguished private collections in India and abroad.
Sekhar Roy Sr.’s career reflects a rare continuity of practice, intellectual depth, and institutional recognition, positioning him as a significant figure in the narrative of contemporary Indian painting.