In a condolence message, the CPI-M Politburo said that Vivan Sundaram was an artist of the people of New Delhi. He was the greatest creative artist of India. He was a personality who constantly fought for the interests of the working class and upheld the demands of the people, PB recalled in the statement. During the Emergency, he became an organizer of student protests and artists’ resistance groups. In 1968, after studying painting at Baroda MS University, he went to the Slade School of Art in London for further studies. Vivaan was influenced by the works of Amma’s sister and eminent painter Amrita Shergill. The book Amrita Shergill: A Self-Portrait in Letters and Writings was released in 2010. She started the Sundaram Arts Foundation in 2016 with her sister Navina Sundaram. He is the founder member of Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust, Kasauli Art Center etc. He is one of the 30 artists in the world commissioned for the Sharjah Biennale. ‘Black Gold’ installation exhibited at Adya Kochi Muzeeris Biennale. Vivan was born in Shimla in 1943 to former Law Commission Chairman Kalyan Sundar and Indira. His wife is Geeta Kapoor, a famous art historian and critic. CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Teesta Setalvad, Shabnam Hashmi and many other dignitaries expressed their condolences. Read on deshabhimani.com
