Krishna Reddy American , 1925-2018

Born in a small village called Nandanoor, near Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh in 1925, printmaker and sculptor Krishna Reddy studied fine art at the Vishva-Bharati University's Kala Bhavan in Santiniketan from 1941 to 1946. From 1947 to 1950 he headed the art section at Kalakshetra, Chennai and was also teaching art at the Montessori Teachers' Training Centre in Madras, where he took preliminary interest in sculpture and painting. His most susceptible years began when he traveled to Europe where he further studied art at the Slade School of Fine Arts, London. He further practiced in Europe, working in the studios of masters like Henry Moore in England and Marino Marini in Italy. In Paris he discovered the principles of viscosity etching and developed his distinctive printmaking technique in color viscosity intaglio, for which he is most celebrated i.e. printing multi-colored prints from a single printing matrix. As an Indian printmaker, sculptor and teacher, he was considered a master intaglio printer. He claimed that sculpture is his love and the source of his inspiration can be easily recognized in his prints, as well as his sculpture and drawings. His prints, often done in semi-abstract or abstract form revolve around nature. As a worshipper of nature, he has an ability to devote each engraved plate with an elemental experience that subtly merges with spirituality. Reddy has also composed a comprehensive book on the art of color printmaking where he goes on to mention technical details in depth.

During the 1950s, Reddy's work began to be recognizable. He also began to teach more extensively at many American Universities. Reddy served on numerous award juries, ranging from the Society of American Graphic Artists to the Lalit Kala Akademy of India and directs the Graphics Program at New York University. His work has been included in countless solo and group exhibitions internationally and is represented in several private and public collections including The Victoria and Albert Museum- London, The National Gallery of Modern Art- New Delhi, MOMA- New York, The National Gallery of Canada- Ottawa, The Albertina Museum- Vienna, and The National Gallery of Art- Washington. Among many other awards Reddy has also been honoured by Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, conferred by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Padma Shri Award in 1972. Reddy was also honored as one of the guest invitees to the Silvermine National Print Biennial in the USA. The artist passed away in 2018 in New York.