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A A Almelkar

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Abdul Rahim Almelkar believed that he must have learnt painting when he was still in his mother`s womb, much like Arjuna`s son Abhimanyu in the Mahabharat. "My mother was busy embroidering all through her pregnancy and I probably inherited art from her at that stage," he says.

Born in Solapur, (in Maharashtra) he began painting at the young age of seven. After a conventional education in a local school, he joined the Sir J. J. School...
Read More Abdul Rahim Almelkar believed that he must have learnt painting when he was still in his mother`s womb, much like Arjuna`s son Abhimanyu in the Mahabharat. "My mother was busy embroidering all through her pregnancy and I probably inherited art from her at that stage," he says.

Born in Solapur, (in Maharashtra) he began painting at the young age of seven. After a conventional education in a local school, he joined the Sir J. J. School of Arts in Mumbai. During his student years, he won several awards at shows organized by the Art Society of India and the Bombay Art Society.

Almelkar considered Khatri, a folk painter from Gujarat, as his true teacher. Khatri instilled into the young aspirant a pursuit for perfect draftsmanship. "In those days, there was `no inner eye and outer eye`. A single vision informed the work of most artists," says Almelkar. He belonged to a tradition of stylized "Indian" paintings; with a lot of detailing and elements from miniature art tradition that were at its peak when he was still studying at the art college.

Like all erstwhile artists, he branched out early in his career and evolved his own style. Ordinary folk, fishermen and tribal people were central to most of his works. He presented the tribal people against the background of simple decorative motifs that they used to beautify their homes with and which also had religious meanings. Almelkar often traveled in the jungles of Vidharbha, (in Maharashtra) sketching birds and trees in sanctuaries and the colorful tribal people inhabiting those localities.

Keeping in mind the fundamentals of drawing, he did both naturalistic as well as figurative studies, with just a touch of stylization to accommodate a folk style. It recalls to the mind traditional Javanese Art, which in turn has been influenced by the art of greater India.

Applying colors with his fingers and finishing the work with a clear outline in waterproof ink, he retained a sense of lndianess in his depictions, which in almost all cases were simple portrayals of people. He also experimented with cardboard as the base of his works. Almelkar often used the paste of cowries to import a shine to the surface of his paintings.

Almelkar was the Principal of a private art institute called `Nutan Kala Mandir` in Bangalore. He later joined as a lecturer at the Sir J.J School of Arts in 1968. His shows won acclaim in Malaysia and in other Asian capitals too.
Almelkar passed away on December 1982 at the age of 62.

Honours and Awards

1977 Painted A Happy Family, Passing Through a Beautiful Garden, for The...

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CURRENTLY ON AUCTION

Showing 1 of 1 works

Lot 58 Details

Winter Online Auction 10-11 December 2025

A A Almelkar

Untitled

Ink on paper pasted on paper

8 x 9.5 in

$910-1,140
Rs 80,000-1,00,000

Register to Bid

PAST AUCTIONS

Showing 4 of 26 works

Lot 10 Details

25th Anniversary Evening Sale 27 September 2025

A A Almelkar

Untitled

Gouache on cardboard pasted on mount board

12.5 x 15.5 in

Winning bid
$10,169
Rs 9,00,000
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Threads of Saffron 22-23 July 2025

A A Almelkar

Ghotul

Gouache and ink on paper pasted on mount board

15 x 30 in

Winning bid
$11,860
Rs 10,20,000
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 37 Details

Threads of Saffron 22-23 July 2025

A A Almelkar

Untitled

Gouache and watercolour on card

11.5 x 8 in

Winning bid
$2,791
Rs 2,40,000
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 45 Details

Summer Online Auction 18-19 June 2025

A A Almelkar

Untitled

Gouache on paper pasted on canvas

10.5 x 16.5 in

Winning bid
$7,059
Rs 6,00,000
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

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PAST StoryLTD AUCTIONS

Showing 4 of 6 works

Absolute Tuesdays 25 November 2025

A A Almelkar

Untitled

Pen on paper pasted on paper

10.5 x 8.75 in

Winning bid
$682
Rs 60,000
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Lot 14 Details

Absolute Tuesdays 28 October 2025

A A Almelkar

Untitled

Pen and ink on paper

8 x 13 in

Winning bid
$886
Rs 78,000
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Friday Five 5 April 2024

A A Almelkar

Untitled

Gouache on cardboard

15.5 x 24.25 in

Winning bid
$7,317
Rs 6,00,000
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

Friday Five 11 June 2021

A A Almelkar

Untitled (Two Women)

Watercolour and gouache on paper

8.25 x 9.5 in

Winning bid
$2,070
Rs 1,46,940
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

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EXHIBITIONS

Showing 2 of 2 works

Works on Paper: Apparao Art for Education. 15-28 September 2023

A A Almelkar

Untitled

Pen on paper

11.25 x 8.5 in

Works on Paper: Apparao Art for Education. 15-28 September 2023

A A Almelkar

Untitled

Pencil on paper pasted on paper

11.25 x 8.5 in

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