Jagdish and Kamla Mittal at their home in Domalguda in 2008. , Photo Credit: Arrangement
Artworks collected by Jagdish Mittal and his wife Kamala traveled around the world as borrowed art objects, including this Pahari painting depicting drunken musicians. , photo Credit:
Jagdish Mittal creating a mural at Santiniketan in 1947 Photo Credit: Arrangement
In 1990, President R. Jagdish Mittal receiving the Padmashree award from Venkatraman. Photo Credit: Arrangement
The Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum brought out a series of books on Indian art, including Pahari painting, in 2014. (Left to right) Nitin Bhayana, William Dalrymple, Jyotindra Jain and Jagdish Mittal at the launch in New Delhi. , Photo Credit: Arrangement
Aesthetician, art collector, connoisseur and artist Jagdish Mittal passed away at a private hospital in Hyderabad on Tuesday (January 7, 2025) at 4.54 pm. He celebrated his 99th birthday on September 16, 2024. “He had chest tightness and cold. This morning the situation worsened and we took him to the hospital. Doctors announced his demise at 4.54 pm,” said a family member. His wife Kamla Mittal was predeceased and died in November 2012.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy condoled the demise on X (formerly Twitter) and said that the immense efforts made by Jagadish Mittal to preserve and promote Indian art and heritage were invaluable.
Coming from a working-class family and his father being an engineer, Jagdish Mittal moved to Hyderabad in 1953 after studying at Santiniketan and was a founding member of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. As his collection of art objects grew, he and his wife decided to form a public trust called the Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of Indian Art and handed over his collection to its care in 1976.
“His immense contribution in preserving and promoting Indian art and heritage will always be invaluable. May his soul rest in peace and may God give strength to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of artists, art lovers and historians,” said renowned artist Lakshman Ale.
“He not only inaugurated the Daira Center for Arts and Culture, he opened many doors for innumerable artistes. They lit so many lamps across the city that every member of the art world will have something special to share. I remember the day when he came to inaugurate an exhibition at Daiara. Minaj’s art gallery and the scope were just locked (we shared a wall and a door that was always closed). On that particular evening he insisted that we immediately break the lock and connect the two galleries. Unfortunately, due to technical reasons we couldn’t do it, but this incident is clearly imprinted in my mind when we all were breaking the lock (just before the inauguration),” curator Atiya Amjad said of Mittal and his passion for art. Said while reminiscing about love.
Mittal and his family were preparing for the annual international seminar called Dakhan, to be held from January 9 to 11. The three-day seminar, titled Studies in Indian Painting and Textiles, was hosted by the Jagdish and Kamala Mittal Museum of Indian Art, with Indian and foreign experts among the invitees.
He collected exquisite artefacts which are now housed in the Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of Indian Art. This remarkable collection of artefacts is a testament to the passion and dedication towards Indian history and culture and has brought great pride and identity to Hyderabad,” said filmmaker B. Narasimha Rao said on Mittal’s demise.
published – January 07, 2025 11:59 PM IST
