(b. 1934)
Born in 1934, in Gujarat, Bhatt completed his Diploma in Painting with Graphic Arts and Post Diploma Specialisation in creative painting from M.S. University of Baroda. Jyoti Bhatt’s mission as a painter and graphic artist is to preserve and seek inspiration from the fast-disappearing folk art traditions of rural India. He worked as a painter from 1954 to 1969 and taught at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Baroda. He studied painting and printmaking at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda, under stalwarts like N. S. Bendre, Sankho Chaudhari and K. G. Subramanayan. In the 70's, he learnt the intaglio method of printing and screen painting. Bhatt, a member of the Group 1890, has been inspired by the colourful stylised motifs of cross-stitch embroidery, rangoli motifs and the use of traditional calligraphic ideograms from his native place Saurashtra. He is the recipient of the National Award, in 1963, at the Annual Art Exhibitions of L.K.Akademi, NewDelhi; the ‘Gaurav Puraskar by Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi; and the Life Time Achievement Award, by Gujarat State. His work is displayed in numerous international collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., and The British Museum, London. Jyoti Bhatt lives and works out of Baroda.