Introduction
Born in 1925 in Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, Krishna Reddy played a defining role in the history of printmaking. After receiving early training at Santiniketan, Reddy travelled to Europe where he spent his most impressionable years in London studying under Henry Moore and Lucian Freud. He later moved to France, Rome and Milan, where he pursued sculpture and worked closely with Ossip Zadkine and Mario Marini. Ossip Zadkine introduced Krishna Reddy to Stanley William Hayter, a pioneering printmaker and innovator who established the highly influential print studio, Atelier 17, in Paris in 1927.
It was here that Krishna Reddy would arrive at his most innovative printmaking techniques through relentless experimental rigor. He started experimenting with color viscosity printmaking, a technique that would transform intaglio printing and secure his position in graphic arts. The breakthrough lay in the discovery that multiple colors could be printed simultaneously on a single plate. Through his experiments, he demonstrated that several colours could be superimposed and retained at different levels on the etched and carved plate. As a result, some colours would mix, while others would repel one another. This technical breakthrough effectively eliminated the need to print one colour at a time, allowing the artist greater freedom and control over his work.
Reddy's closeness to nature was reflected in his oeuvre. He combined his discovery in printmaking to render a series of elements in nature —the jellyfish, germinating flowers, tree trunks, whirlpools and waves, spider webs. Nature inspired him to create a new visual form of expression thus: 'We stand between the immense cosmos and the unfathomable universe within us. If we pause for a moment and watch these great mysteries, we are filled with awe and wonder.'
It was here that Krishna Reddy would arrive at his most innovative printmaking techniques through relentless experimental rigor. He started experimenting with color viscosity printmaking, a technique that would transform intaglio printing and secure his position in graphic arts. The breakthrough lay in the discovery that multiple colors could be printed simultaneously on a single plate. Through his experiments, he demonstrated that several colours could be superimposed and retained at different levels on the etched and carved plate. As a result, some colours would mix, while others would repel one another. This technical breakthrough effectively eliminated the need to print one colour at a time, allowing the artist greater freedom and control over his work.
Reddy's closeness to nature was reflected in his oeuvre. He combined his discovery in printmaking to render a series of elements in nature —the jellyfish, germinating flowers, tree trunks, whirlpools and waves, spider webs. Nature inspired him to create a new visual form of expression thus: 'We stand between the immense cosmos and the unfathomable universe within us. If we pause for a moment and watch these great mysteries, we are filled with awe and wonder.'
- Date of Birth
- 05 Jul 1925
- Zodiac sign
- Cancer
- Place of Birth
- Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India
- Spouse(s)
- Indira reddy
- Children
- Shalini bhupal, g.v. sanjay reddy
- State Country of Birth
- Andhra Pradesh, India
1942
- Diploma (Fine Arts), Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal, India
1942 – 1947
1950
- Teacher, Arts Faculty, New York University, USA
- Professor of Art & Director of Printmaking, New York, USA
1951
- Slade School of Fine Art, London, UK
1951 – 1952
1952
- Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris, France (Student of Ossip Zadkine in sculpture)
1952 – 1955
1953
- S. W. Hayter's Atelier 17, International Centre for Graphic Arts, Paris, France
1953 – 1955
1956
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Milan, Italy (Student of Marino Marini in sculpture)
1956 – 1957
1980
- Innovations in Intaglio: Atelier 17 & S. W. Hayter, a travelling show starting at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, USA
1980 – 1982
1984
- In a Stream of Ink, Travelling Show of Printmaking Workshop's Collection, College Art Gallery, SUNY New Paltz, New York, USA
1984 – 1985
1947
- Head of Arts Department, College of Fine Arts, Kalakshetra, Chennai, India
1947 – 1949
1948
- Lecturer in Art, Arundale Montessori Teachers Training Centre (Founder-Director: Maria Montessori), Chennai, India
1948 – 1949
1952
- Teacher, Arts Faculty, New York University, USA
- Professor of Art & Director of Printmaking, New York, USA
1957
- Assistant Director, Atelier 17, Paris, France
1957 – 1964
1961
- Member of the Jury, Biennale of Paris, France
1964
- Guest Professor, American University, Washington, DC, USA
- Visiting Artist, Fort Worth Art Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
- Guest Artist, Tamarind Lithography Workshop, Los Angeles, USA
1969
- Guest Professor, Rhode Island School of Design, USA
1970
- Guest Professor, University of California, Davis, USA
1970 – 1971
1973
- Guest Artist, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, USA
- Professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA
- Guest Professor, Rhode Island School of Design, USA
- Artist-in-Residence, Yale University Summer School of Music and Art, Norfolk, Connecticut, USA
1977
- Professor, SUNY Stony Brook, New York, USA
- Andrew Mellon Visiting Professor, Cooper Union School of Art and Architecture, New York, USA
- Professor, New York University, New York, USA
- Director, Graphics and Printmaking Program, Department of Art and Art Professions, New York University, USA
- Artist-in-Residence, Atelier 17, Paris, France
1978
- Artist-in-Residence, Yale University Summer School of Music and Art, Norfolk, Connecticut, USA
- Member of the Jury, Triennale of India, New Delhi (Other members: Rufino Tamayo, Richard Hunt, Philip Rawson)
- Member of the Jury of Awards, Annual National Exhibition, Society of American Graphic Artists, Azuma Gallery, New York, USA
1979
- Artist-in-Residence, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA
- Guest Artist, Kala Institute of Graphics, Berkeley, California, USA
- Artist-in-Residence, University of Michigan School of Art, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
1980
- Member of the Jury, Heckscher Museum, Huntington Art League's Annual Long Island Art Exhibition (Other members: Betty Parsons, Lawrence Alloway)
- Juror, Juried Print Exhibition, Edward Hopper House Art Center, Nyack, New York, USA
- Guest Artist, Columbia University School of the Arts, New York, USA
- Visiting Artist, Goddard MFA Visual Arts Program, Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont, USA
1981
- Visiting Professor, Pratt Graphic Center, New York, USA
1982
- Member of the Jury of Awards, National Exhibition, Bergen County Museum, Paramus, New Jersey, USA
- Guest Professor, University of California, Davis, USA
- Guest Professor, PS 398, organized by museums, New York, USA
- Collaborative Cultural Voucher School Program, New York, USA
- Guest Professor, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Visiting Artist, Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford University, UK
1983
- Member of the Jury, International Print Exhibition, Taipei, Taiwan
- Artist-in-Residence, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City
- Artist-in-Residence, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
- Arts Association, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Alaska State Council on the Arts
- Guest of Honour, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, India
- Visiting Artist, Drew University, Madison, New Jersey, USA
- Associate Member representing Asia, Afro-Arab Cultural Organisation, Rabat, Morocco (President: Léopold Sédar Senghor)
- Member of the Jury, Annual Fellowship Program for the Printmaking Workshop (limited to Third World artist-printmakers), funded by the National Endowment for the Arts
1983 – 1984
1984
- Artist in Residence, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, India
- Guest Artist, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, India
1984 – 1985
1985
- Panelist, Artists Fellowship Program, New York Foundation for the Arts
- Featured Guest Artist – Printmaker of the Year, Annual Meeting of Artists, Northwest Print Council, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Honoured Guest Artist, Chitrakala Parishath, under the Ministry of Culture, Government of Karnataka, Bengaluru, India
1986
- Artist-in-Residence, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Guest Professor, graduate painting review, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, USA
- Artist-in-Residence, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
1986 – 1987
1988
- Juror of Awards, Pacific States National Biennial Print Exhibition, University of Hawaiʻi, Hilo, USA
- Distinguished Artist-in-Residence, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA
- Special Guest Artist, Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford University, UK
1989
- Distinguished Visiting Artist for Graduate Review, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
1991
- Distinguished Visiting Artist for Graduate Review, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
- Distinguished Visiting Artist, University of Texas at Austin and Huntington Gallery (University of Texas Art Museum), Austin, Texas, USA
1993
- Distinguished Visiting Artist, Pacific Rim International Print Exhibition Project, University of Hawaiʻi, Hilo, USA
1994
- Honoured Guest Artist, Print Council of New Jersey, Somerville, New Jersey, USA
1995
- Honoured Guest Artist, Chitrakala Parishath, under the Ministry of Culture, Government of Karnataka, Bengaluru, India
1996
- Audubon Artists Annual Exhibition, New York, USA
1997
- Guest Artist, Garhi Artists' Studio, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, India
- Guest of Honour, Print Council of New Jersey, Somerville, New Jersey, USA
1998
- Guest of Honour, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA
2000
- Artist-in-Residence, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, India
- Artist-in-Residence, Annual Southern Graphics Council Conference, University of Miami, Florida, USA
2001
- International Works on Paper, SOHO 20 Gallery, New York, USA
Chronicled Highlights
6 entries
1925Born
Krishna Reddy
Krishna Reddy was born in 1925 in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Reddy, Krishna (Artist). Three Graces. Mixed color intaglio on paper, 1958 | Graphic Art | FineArts | 00334046
In 2018, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Three Graces (1958), offered in the Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art by Sotheby's, which concluded on 19 March 2018 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹4,87,781.25 ($7,500). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Reddy, Krishna (Artist). La Vague (The Wave). Mixed color intaglio on paper; Edition 10/15 + Ap, circa early 1960s | Print | EconomicsArt | 00872856
In 2026, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of La Vague (The Wave) (1961), offered in the South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art Online by Christie's, which concluded on 01 April 2026 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹10,65,376.58 ($11,430). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Reddy, Krishna (Artist). Untitled (Group of Trees). Watercolour on handmade paper, 1963 | Painting | FineArts | 00336297
In 2018, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (Group of Trees) (1963), offered in the Boundless India by Sotheby's, which concluded on 29 November 2018 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹10,62,500 ($15,196.83). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Reddy, Krishna (Artist). Demonstrators. Synthetic Resin, 1969 | Sculpture | FineArts | 00755814
In 2010, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Demonstrators (1969), offered in the 101 Rare Artworks from the History of Indian Modern & Contemporary Art by Osian's, which concluded on 23 June 2010 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹4,56,000 ($9,847). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Reddy, Krishna (Artist). Krishna Reddy - A Retrospective. New York: Bronx Museum, 1981 | Solo Exhibition Catalogue | 00882650
In 1981, Krishna Reddy A Retrospective marked a major milestone in the exhibition history of Krishna Reddy, offering a retrospective survey of the artist's artistic production
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Heart (Auction House) and Neville Tuli (Curator). The Intuitive-Logic II - Modern & Contemporary Indian Paintings, Drawings, Graphics, Sculpture & Tapestry. 15 November 1997, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861853
On 15 November 1997, made their debut in the Indian public auction market when Flower was presented as Lot in The Intuitive-Logic II: Modern & Contemporary Indian Paintings, Drawings, Graphics, Sculpture & Tapestry, conducted by HEART in Mumbai, India. This auction marked the artist's first recorded appearance in the public auction market, establishing the earliest chapter of their auction history.
Economics of Art
Currency
This section showcases auction lots that achieved record-high sale prices, tracked by the date each record was set based on the artist's historical auction data.
Record-high lots6
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1968
- First major critical acclaim in the U.S.; Wave chosen by Gabor Peterdi for the Experts' Choice exhibition at the Print Club, Philadelphia
1972
- Padma Shri title awarded by the President of India, Shri V. V. Giri
1976
- Chosen as one of the 33 international artists for a portfolio of prints for the Hommage aux Prix Nobel series published in Sweden
1978
- Honoured at the United Nations Headquarters on the occasion of the first-day issue of the UN TCDC stamp on November 17, 1978; WFUNA of the UN presented the work Three Figures on its first-day cover as an artwork reproduction to accompany the stamp
- Invited to inaugurate the newly built workshops for artists realised by the Arts Council of India in New Delhi; delivered a series of lectures on art
1979
- Invited to the International Symposium of Artists, Writers and Filmmakers held at Asilah near Rabat, at the Cultural Palace, Morocco, Deuxième Moussem Culturel d'Asilah (Art Festival)
1980
- Gagan Abani Puraskar of Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, conferred by Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, during the convocation; other recipients included Nobel Laureate astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, sarodist Ali Akbar Khan, and economist Amartya Sen
1984
- S. V. University, Tirupati, India, conferred the degree of Honoris Causa, the honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt.), at its convocation
1987
- Guest of Honour at the Manhattan Arts Council opening of a print exhibition, Manhattan, Kansas
1997
- Kala Ratna title conferred by the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, along with a cash purse
2000
- Artist-Printmaker Emeritus of the Year 2000, title awarded by the Southern Graphics Council of America at the National Conference hosted by the University of Miami and Florida International University
2002
- Designated Professor Emeritus of Art and Art Education by the President of New York University, New York, U.S.A.
Research Centre
Posts 3
- Tuli Research Centre for India Studies presents All Living Souls - Expressed in the Modern and Contemporary Fine & Popular Indian Arts Curated by Neville Tuli As part of launching the 16th Research Category for India Studies - "The Animal-Human-Nature-Continuum" we present a fascinating exhibition of modern and contemporary Indian fine and popular arts and their expression of the ideas and forms related to the dialogue between animals and humans, and the larger cosmic and spiritual thoughts which abide therein. Please visit the Exhibition and see the artworks by modern and contemporary masters such as Rabindranath Tagore, D.P. Roy Chowdhury, M.F. Husain, J. Swaminathan, J. Sultan Ali, Somnath Hore, Ganesh Pyne, Manjit Bawa, K. Laxma Goud, Krishna Reddy, Jyoti Bhatt, Rekha Rodwittiya, Amit Ambalal, among others, along with vintage and rare prints from the pioneering Indian chromolithographic presses such as Chitrashala, Ravi Varma, Calcutta Art Studio, Chore Bagan & Kansaripara.
- Krishna Reddy, one of the world's finest printmakers, developed complex viscosity printing techniques to build layered surfaces for his organic artforms, resembling webs or marine organisms which emerge through dense tonal structures. The insect or organism becomes a study of interconnected systems and movement, rooted through a brilliant aesthetic fusing of his individual creative spirit and his unique educational experiences and inspirations at Rabindranath Tagore's Santiniketan with Nandalal Bose, the Slade School of Art with Henry Moore, the Academie Grande Chaumiere with Ossip Zadkine, Atelier 17, Paris with Stanley Hayter and Academia Di Belle Arti Di Brera with Marino Marini during the period 1947-57.
- "What does 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗷 truly mean? Is freedom achieved at a single historic moment or period, or must self-rule be continually imagined, questioned and renewed? India's journey towards Swaraj was shaped not by one voice or one path, but through reform and resistance, revolution and non-violence, political thought, public protest, art, print, photography, cinema and the collective will of its people. The Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) presents 𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗝: 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮'𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, a pioneering exhibition curated by Neville Tuli. Bringing together rare artworks, prints, photographs, books, film publicity art, political propaganda and visual-textual-audio archives, SWARAJ traces India's complex journey towards political self-rule and self-discovery. From early European coastal encounters, the Bengal Renaissance and the First War of Independence in 1857 to the rise of Bharat Mata, the Tiranga, Gandhiji's inspired satyagraha, civil disobedience and mass mobilisation, the exhibition explores how the idea of India was envisioned, contested and transformed. It journeys through revolutionary movements and non-violence, subaltern uprisings, the Partition, the Constitution, the integration of the Princely States, the Emergency, wars, civic dissent and people's protests. It also foregrounds the vital role of artists, photographers, publishers, newspapers, journals, cartoons and cinema in recording and shaping the nation's political consciousness. SWARAJ invites us to encounter history not as something distant or settled, but as a daily living inheritance that continues to influence who we are and how we understand freedom, identity, and ourselves today. Watch the video for a glimpse into this expansive visual journey, and follow the exhibition as it revisualises India's political history through art, image, text and sound.
Calendar 4
- LiveExhibitionProject 81SWARAJ - Revisualising India's Political HistoryAn Exhibition of Modern & Contemporary Fine & Popular Arts, Photography, Film Memorabilia and Visual-Textual-Audio Archive12th - 16th August 202610:00 AM - 7:00 PMVisual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi,The Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) announces its seventh exhibition. “Swaraj – Revisualising India's Political History” -- An exhibition of Modern and Contemporary Fine and Popular Arts, Photography, Film Memorabilia and Visual-Textual-Audio Archives. Swaraj will open at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 12 August 2026 at the Visual Arts Gallery and will remain open till 7 p.m. Sunday, 16 August 2026. Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) presents SWARAJ | Revisualising India's Political History, a pioneering inter-disciplinary offline-online exhibition conceptualised and curated by Neville Tuli with Team T.R.I.S.. SWARAJ explores India's journey towards political self-rule and self-discovery through a remarkable collection of rare modern and contemporary fine and popular arts, albums, photographs, books, prints, propaganda, cartoons, film publicity artworks and other "text-visual-audio" archives contextualised within a clear historical framework, which defines T.R.I.S.' pedagogic approach to learning. The Exhibition will be of particular interest to students and scholars of India & Cultural Studies, and India's political and modern histories as well as those interested in the passage of events and ideas from the mid-1850s leading up to the turn of the 21st century. Unique to the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies is the richness of visual material that not only exhorts a deeper understanding of the art and archival materials on display but also brings alive the multi-layered narratives of the exhibition and naturally India's journey in being ad searching for herself.Read More →
- ArchivedOpening PreviewProject 82SWARAJ - Revisualising India's Political HistoryAn Exhibition of Modern & Contemporary Fine & Popular Arts, Photography, Film Memorabilia and Visual-Textual-Audio Archive12th August 20266:00 PM - 9:00 PMVisual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi,The Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) announces its seventh exhibition. “Swaraj – Revisualising India's Political History” -- An exhibition of Modern and Contemporary Fine and Popular Arts, Photography, Film Memorabilia and Visual-Textual-Audio Archives. Swaraj will open at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 12 August 2026 at the Visual Arts Gallery and will remain open till 7 p.m. Sunday, 16 August 2026. Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) presents SWARAJ | Revisualising India's Political History, a pioneering inter-disciplinary offline-online exhibition conceptualised and curated by Neville Tuli with Team T.R.I.S.. SWARAJ explores India's journey towards political self-rule and self-discovery through a remarkable collection of rare modern and contemporary fine and popular arts, albums, photographs, books, prints, propaganda, cartoons, film publicity artworks and other "text-visual-audio" archives contextualised within a clear historical framework, which defines T.R.I.S.' pedagogic approach to learning. The Exhibition will be of particular interest to students and scholars of India & Cultural Studies, and India's political and modern histories as well as those interested in the passage of events and ideas from the mid-1850s leading up to the turn of the 21st century. Unique to the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies is the richness of visual material that not only exhorts a deeper understanding of the art and archival materials on display but also brings alive the multi-layered narratives of the exhibition and naturally India's journey in being ad searching for herself.Read More →
- ArchivedExhibitionProject 5Self Discovery via Rediscovering India Series Part IV Building www.tuliresearchcentre.org20th - 23rd February 2025Self Discovery via Rediscovering India Series Part IVRead More →
- ArchivedExhibitionProject 1Self-Discovery via Rediscovering India Series Inaugural Exhibition14th - 29th March 2024Inaugural ExhibitionRead More →
