Atul Dodiya

Atul Dodiya had started as a painter of realistic images in 1980s. In those days the Indian art market was in a very nascent stage and Dodiya catered to the need of the time. His style changed with changes in the Indian art market. In the 1990s, Dodiya painted a series on Gandhi where he used a style that resembled old sepia-toned photographs. The style became popular and Dodiya made many more works in the same style.



Dodiya’s style never remained the same. He gave primacy to market forces and taught a whole generation of Indian artists to accept market requirements as through market one gets to know ones times. In Dodiya’s works narratives in became important as he chose contemporary stories, thoughts, ideas, and happenings to depict in his works.

In 1990s Dodiya traveled extensively in Europe and popularized his works there. Like most modern artists in India, Dodiya was also drawn towards installations which became hugely popular in Europe. In installations too Dodiya never followed any fixed pattern but rather used common objects like Shutter-doors, hoarding posts etc to display his works.


Dodiya’s wife Anju Dodiya is also an artist and paints in almost similar style. The two of them often use each other’s images in their works. Both Atul and Anju Dodiya stay in Mumbai.