Renowned sculptor Ram V Sutar, best known as the creator of the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, died at his residence in Noida late on Wednesday at the age of 100. His family said he had been suffering from age-related ailments and passed away around midnight on December 17 at the home he shared with his son, fellow sculptor Anil Sutar.
Life and legacy
Born on February 19, 1925, in Gondur village in Maharashtra’s Dhule district, Sutar rose from modest beginnings to become one of India’s most celebrated public sculptors. A gold medallist from the Sir J J School of Art in Mumbai, he went on to design more than 50 monumental works, including statues of national leaders and historic figures installed across India and abroad.
Sutar’s most iconic work, the 182-metre Statue of Unity of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Kevadia, Gujarat, is recognised as the world’s tallest statue. His other major works include the seated statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside the old Parliament building in New Delhi, its larger replica at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, the Chambal monument, and an equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Parliament complex.
Honours and recognition
Over his long career, Sutar received some of India’s highest civilian honours, including the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016. Earlier this year, he was also conferred the Maharashtra Bhushan, the state’s highest civilian award, in a special ceremony held at his Noida residence due to his frail health.
A gold medallist from the J J School of Art, Ram Sutar gave independent India a visual vocabulary of its leaders through his sculptures. His works have been replicated and installed in hundreds of locations, including a widely circulated bust of Mahatma Gandhi sent to around 450 cities in India and overseas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Sutar as a remarkable artist who helped define India’s contemporary monumental landscape. “Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Ram Sutar Ji, a remarkable sculptor whose mastery gave India some of its most iconic landmarks, including the Statue of Unity in Kevadia,” the Prime Minister said in a condolence message on X. “His works will always be admired as powerful expressions of India’s history, culture and collective spirit… He has immortalised national pride for generations to come,” he added, offering condolences to the family and admirers.
With his death, the Indian art world loses a centenarian sculptor whose work has become inseparable from the country’s public imagination of its leaders and history
Athmaja Biju is the Editor at Abir Pothi. She is a Translator and Writer working on Visual Culture.
