Haku Shah (1934 - 2019) was a visionary artist who painted with a formal simplicity, often depicting figures and symbols that are imbued with a deep sense of humanism. Born in Valod, Gujarat, he was deeply influenced by the rhythms of rural life, which shaped his artistic and academic pursuits. Trained at M.S. University, Baroda, under the mentorship of KG Subramanyan, NS Bendre, and Sankho Chaudhuri, Shah is part of a storied lineage of artists. Over his lifetime, he collaborated with luminaries such as Charles and Ray Eames, Pupul Jayakar, Charles Correa and Balkrishna Doshi, leaving an indelible mark on India’s cultural landscape. Beyond his artistic practice, Shah was instrumental in documenting and preserving India’s indigenous material culture, co-curating the landmark exhibition Unknown India at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1968.
A key figure in the formative years of the National Institute of Design (NID), he championed human-centered research and the integration of craft traditions into contemporary design. Honoured with the Padma Shri in 1989 and multiple Rockefeller Grants, his legacy endures as a testament to the power of art as a bridge between the past and the present.