Born in 1941 in Delhi Rameshwar Broota's interest in painting was evident at a very early age. He did his graduation from Delhi College of Art in
1964. As a young painter Broota's anguish at the suffering he saw all around him and his anger at the greed and corruption in society was forcefully expressed
In his early works which are a satirical and pungent comment on the social environment of his times. In his Gorilla Series, that lasted for 10 years, from 1970 to
1979 Broota's deep sensitivity to the crass materialism in society was reflected in the Gorilla Man where he watched the world go by sometimes with revulsion;
Sometimes with a sense of humor, and in this period Broota's creative genius gave a new dimension to aesthetics in contemporary Indian Art.

Broota's imagery then moved further, embracing the primitive Man that symbolized the universal substance of the human being which did not belong to any place or time. This Man, powerful, tragic and raw stood starkly, like a pillar. It was here in 1980, that he simultaneously found his new technique of carving images by scraping out the layers of flat monochromatic paints with the sharp edge of a broken blade. The discovery was important because he carves out his images, going from one stage to the other without depending on any kind of preparatory sketches on paper. On close examination, his large canvases are infact, immensely intricate monumental drawings.

In his present works, Broota has slowly moved into the realm of the timeless- the abstract- where the presence of gross 'Man' has almost metamorphosed into the universal substance, leaving behind and merging with the subtle and tactile surface. In the meticulously but playfully scripted marks, dots and broken lines the artist consciously rejects the limitations of readily readable and recognizable forms and symbols and widens the scope of their meanings giving his work a life of its own. The displacement of the body in its physical strength and solid dimensions by marks indented on the surface of the earth implies a kind of merging with the eternal; the focus in the recent canvases therefore shifts from the time bound to the timeless. The marks, reminiscent or archaeological findings, function as painterly symbols communicating rhythms of time, of man, and of existence.

Broota never had a solo showing of his paintings, by choice, in Delhi, though earlier he had exhibited in Calcutta in 1984 and 1990 and in Mumbai at Gallery 7 in 1997.

The painter has won three National Awards of the Lalit Kala Akademi during the years 1980, 1981 and 1984, the AIFACS Awards in 1973 and 1975 and the Hyderabad Art Society Award for Graphics in 1976. He received the Senior Fellowship of the Government of India for the years 1987 and 1988. He was
Conferred the L. N. Gupta Memorial Award in 1988 and the Title Award 'Kala Vibhushan' by AIFACS in 1997.

In 1985 he made some experimental Video art films which were shown at Shridharani Gallery in 1987. In 1991 he made Shabash Bete on video with Vasundhara Tewari in a workshop organised by Max Mueller Bhawan.

Before his first major showing of his 'Gorilla Series' in 1971 in Delhi entitled 'Words and Lines', he had already participated in number of group shows in Delhi Silpi Chakra and elsewhere.
In 1973-74 his work was shown in a touring exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art in Poland, Yugoslavia, Sweden, Bulgaria & Belgium. In 1972, he participated in 'Graphics - Group 8' in Manchester. In 1976, he exhibited in the International Art Fair Biennale-Cagnes-Sur-Mer-France. In 1980-81 and 1984, he participated in the National Exhibitions of the Lalit Kala Akademi. In 1980 he participated in the Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art in Dubai. In 1982, he was invited to participate in 'India Myth & Reality aspects of modern Indian art' in the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, England. His works were also shown in 'Modern Indian Paintings' in Hirschon Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C. and in 'Contemporary Indian Paintings' in Damstadt and other cities in West Germany. In 1984, he exhibited his work in Gallery 7, Bombay; also in the Tokyo Biennale, Japan, and the Bangladesh Biennale. In 1986, his works were exhibited in the Havana Biennale, Cuba, and the Festival of Art- Biennale-Baghdad, Iraq. In 1987, his work was included in the Festival of India, in Geneva and Switzerland and he participated in 'Six Painters' Shridharani Gallery, Delhi. In 1988, his works were shown in Taka Oka, Municipal Museum of Art and Meguro Museum of Art in Tokyo, in the Festival of India, Japan. They were also shown at the Smith's of Covent Garden, London, by Gallery 7. In 1989, he participated in-group shows at the Display Gallery and the Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi, and in the Timeless Art Exhibition and Auction by Sotheby's in Bombay. In 1990, he exhibited with Gallery 7, Bombay. In 1995, he participated in the inaugural exhibition 'River of Art', Art Today, New Delhi and Contemporary Indian Paintings from the Chester & Davida Herwitz Collection, Part-I, at Sotheby's Auction, New York. In the same year his works were part of Indian Contemporary Paintings, Christie's Auction, London. In 1996, his works were exhibited in 'Modern and Contemporary Indian Paintings, 100 years' at Sotheby's Auction, London. In 1997, his works were part of Masanori Fukuoka's Contemporary Indian Art collection exhibition organised by the National Gallery of Morden Art Delhi, Bombay , Banglore Calcutta, also in '50 Years of Indian Independence'  - a group show organised by Vadhera Art Gallery at the National gallery of Modern Art , New Delhi. He also participated in 'Tryst with Destiny' organised by CIMA at Singapore Art Museum in 1997 & Major trends in contemporary Indian art after Independence, organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi. In 1998 , he participated in a group show with Jogen Chowdhury , Manjit Bawa , & GievePatil at Gallery Escape ,New Delhi.
Broota 's works are housed in leading collections in India abroad- The National Gallery of Modern Art , the President's house , Lalit Kala Academi, in Delhi, State Academies , a number educational & other institutions, the Joseph Broz Tito Museum in Yugoslavia, the Kunst Museum in Dusseldorf, &various private collection in India , U.S.A.,Germany, Switzerland, U.K., France, Mexico & sweden.
Broota has been the Head of the Art Department of Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi since 1967.
 
 
 
 

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