Amrita Shergil, born on January 30, 1913, in Budapest, was a prominent Indian painter known for her profound works and was often compared to Frida Kahlo. After moving to India in 1921, she pursued her passion for painting, eventually studying in France where she gained significant recognition. Despite her early success, her life was cut short when she passed away on December 6, 1941, leaving behind a legacy celebrated by the Indian government as national art treasures.

2. 30January1913
Budapest , Austria -
Hungary
5 December 1941 (age28)
Lahore, British India (present
day Pakistan)
Training
Grande Chaumiere , École des Beaux-Arts
(1930–34)
Die
d
Born-

3. In 1921
Her family moved to summer hill,
Shimla in India , And soon began
learning piano and violin.

4. By the age of nine she along with her
sister Indira were giving concerts and
acting in plays at shimla’s Gaiety
Theatre at Mall road ,Shimla .
Though she was already painting since the
age of five she formally started learning
painting at age of eight .

5. Amrita Shergil returned to India and began taking
lesoons in painting under Ervin Backlay . But Ervin’s
insistence that Amrita should copy real life models
exactly as she saw them irked Amrita and thus her
painting stint under Ervin Backlay was short lived .

6. In1929
At the age of sixteen ,Amrita Shergil sailed to France to
study Art. She took a degree in fine arts from the Ecole
des Beaux Arts, Paris. She also learnt to speak and write
French . It was in France that she started painting
seriously.

7. relation
marie antoinette gottesmann
Umrao Singh shergill

8. TRAINING
Grande Chaumiere
Ecole des Beaux-Arts

9. About her
• Amrita Shergill, one of the most famous painters of India, was born on 30th January
1913 in Budapest city of Hungary. Her father, Umrao Singh Shergill Majithia was a Sikh
aristocrat, who was a scholar in Sanskrit. Her mother was a Hungarian singer, Marie
Antoinette Gottesmann. Amrita Shergil was the eldest of the two daughters born to her
parents, her younger sister being Indira Sundaram, now the mother of the modern artist
Vivan Sundaram. The beauty and depth of Amrita Sher Gil's paintings has led to her
being popularly called as 'India's Frida Kahlo'.
• As Amrita Shergill's biography and life history unfolds, we get to know that the painter
spent her early childhood in the Dunaharasti village of Hungary. In the year 1921, her
family shifted from Hungary to the beautiful hill station of Shimla. It was during her stay
in Shimla that Amrita developed an interest in the art of painting and she started
receiving tuitions from an Italian sculptor living there. When the painter moved back to
Italy in 1924, Amrita and her mother also followed him. After reaching Italy, she joined
Santa Anunciata, a Roman Catholic institution.
Recognition
• The works of Amrita Shergill have been declared as National Art Treasures by the
Government of India. Most of her paintings adorn the 'National Gallery of Modern Art' in
New Delhi. There is also a road named after the painter in Lutyen's Delhi, known as the
Amrita Shergill Marg.
•

10. Married life & late life
Lahore, British India
Streets of Lahore
In 1939 ,Amrita Shergill returned back to India and started
painting again. After her return her health deteriorated and she
died on December 6 , 1941. She married purely for security
reasons as she felt that she was essentially weak and needed
someone to take care of her.

11. Achievements
• One of the most promising Indian artists of the pre-
colonial era; youngest ever and the only Asian to be
elected as Associate of the Grand Salon in Paris.
• Amrita Shergill was a renowned Indian painter. She
was one of the most charismatic and promising
Indian artists of the pre-colonial era. Most of her
paintings reflect vividly her love for the country and
more importantly her response to the life of its
people.

12. Gallery

13. Three Girls

14. Camels, 1941

15. Brahmacharis

16. The Child Bride

17. Hill man ,1935

18. Portrait of a young man , 1930

19. Two elephants, 1940

20. Une Collecte