Shyam Bihari Agrawal
A Prayagraj painter and art historian who has worked in Indian miniature and mural traditions for six decades, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
Shyam Bihari Agrawal has kept alive the classical styles of Indian painting, from Basohli and Kangra to the Bengal School, while teaching generations of artists. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from Uttar Pradesh [1].
Training
Agrawal was born on 1 September 1942 in Sirsa, Prayagraj [2]. He studied painting at Allahabad University and the Government College of Art and Craft in Kolkata, where he learned fresco, mural and miniature painting under Kshitindranath Majumdar of the Bengal School [2].
In 1965 his Mewar-style painting Veni Gunthan won the Indu Rakshita award for the best Indian painting [2].
Teacher and writer
He taught at Allahabad University for many years and headed its department of painting [2]. He founded the Roop Shilp Lalit Kala Sansthan in Prayagraj, edited art magazines and wrote more than 40 research papers and books such as Bharatiya Chitrakala aur Kavya and a two-volume history of Indian painting [2]. His paintings are in the Allahabad Museum and private collections [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2025: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2025: citation for Shyam Bihari Agrawal — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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