ART DIRECTION
Born on 16th December 1949, ThotaTharrani is one of the most creative people of our times. He has beeninvolved in the art of set design since he was just twelve when hehelped his father. In addition to his illustrious career in set designTharrani is also a renowned artiste. Being a man of several interestshe manages to excel in whatever he does. Be it the creation of arealistic set of the Dharavi Slums or the colourful transparent bus ofKaadhalan, Tharrani succeeds in creating the right ambience and theright tone.
Mr. Thota Tharrani has completed more than 43 yearsin Indian Cinema. He has completed more than 100 feature films as a SetDesigner and Art Director including three foreign productions:Pondichery, Dernier Comptoir Des Indes (French), Hanuman (French) andBranchie 1999 (Italian). He is a distinguished art director in Hindi,Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam film Industries. His expertise in magnificentand larger than life sets has been well appreciated and awarded. Withall his name and fame he still believes in designing on paper and isalso very particular about designing on inch graph paper so that allthe designs are on scale and can be easily erected.
ART
Anythingand everything inspires the artist in Thota Tharrani. His subjects arefree flowing and never forced. Tharranis eye for detail in the mosttrivial day to day nuances reflect beautifully in his art.
His strong academic background has helped fine-tune his natural skills.When he was barely twelve years old, he contributed a number ofdrawings towards the Madras Art Club and his work was greatlyappreciated.
He enrolled in the Government Collegeof Arts & Crafts at the age of 17 in 1966. In 1971, he passed hispost Graduate Diploma in Mural Painting with distinction. In the sameyear he also attended a two-month Fresco camp in Rajasthan. Aftercompleting his education Tharrani went to Mumbai where he worked as avisualizer and artist for Sitas Advertising. In 1976, Tharranireceived a scholarship from the Government of France and went to Pariswhere he studied printmaking under S.W.Hayter at his studio Atelier-17(1976-1977) Tharraniattended a Graphic Workshop at New Delhi in 1978 and in 1979, heattended a print making workshop in India by Alister Grand from theRoyal College of Arts, London. He started hosting shows from the age of20 and has more than 46 shows to his credit world over.
Today, his travel across the globe has drawn him substantial recognition and acclaim. He has travelled to the United States of America, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. His visit to Japan under the auspices of the Japanese foundation led to his participation in the "Living in Seasons" in Toyoma, Japan. His versatile creations stand tall at destinations in France at theArchives Municipals de Bordeaux, Ecole des Beaux-Arts Bordeaux, Tourismde lInde, Paris, and Maison de lInde, Paris.
InIndia his art can be seen at Mitsubishi Corporation, Kolkata, ECC andHindustan Motors, Chennai, Air India, Mumbai, SPIC, Chennai, NationalGallery of Modern Art, Delhi, KCP, Chennai & Delhi, DeccanHospital, Hyderabad, The Catholic Syrian Bank, Trichur, TAFE, Chennai,RANE, Chennai, Madras Rubber Factory, Chennai, Chemplast, Chennai,National Art Gallery, Chennai, The Hindu, Chennai, India Pistons,Chennai, Kumbakonam Jewellery, Salem, Gallery Chemould, Kolkata, IDBI,Chennai, Credit Lyonnes, Chennai, ITC, Hyderabad, Tata IBM, Bangalore,Access Technologies, Bangalore and the Grand Kakatiya, Hyderabad. His work consists of paintings, murals, paper collages, wooden montages andmany other styles. He is one of the few people who have not restrictedthemselves to any one particular medium. He has tried everything frompencil, chalk, Colour pencils, crayons and pastels to acrylics andwatercolours on canvas, paper, boards, blackboards, sunmica and ceramicmediums. He has also experimented with paper collages and with woodenmontages later in his career. His zeal for creating something novel and unique is what keeps him going undeterred.
AWARDS
Sitara award - amavasya chandrudu – 1981
Andhra pradesh state award - sagara sangamam - 1982
Bommai nagi reddi award – 1987
National award - rajath kamal nayakan - 1988
Andhra pradesh state award – gitanjali - 1989
Kerala state award - abhimanyu – 1991
Cinema express award solidaire mark of excellnce – 1992
Tamilnadu state award - dhalapathi - 1993
Tamilnadu state award - khadalan - 1997
National award rajath kamal – indian - 1997
Prestigious kalaimamani award by the govt. Of tamilnadu - 1998
Filmfare best techinician award - choodalani nundhi – 1999
Padmashri award – 2000
"Sigaram" – india today best 15 - 2005
Asndhra pradesh state award - arjun nundhi - 2005
Amaikya bharat gaurav satkar award by madras telugu academy – 2007
State award – chandramukhi & sringaram - 2005
TRAINING
Graphic Workshop Garhi Village, New Delhi.
1976 Print Making "Atelier 17", S.W.Hayter, Paris.
1977 Post Graduate Diploma {Fine Arts, Painting}Govt., College of Arts & Crafts, Madras, India.
1971 Fresco Training Camp – Banasthali Vidhyapith, Rajasthan
PROFESSIONAL PARTICIPATION
International
1994 - Visitor of Japan Foundation, Japan.
1992 - Design Symposium, Crafts Festival "Living in Seasons" Toyoma, Japan.
1991 - Visitor of USIS/USIA, United States of America.
1985 - Visitor of British Council, London.
1985 - Visitor of France, Germany & England under the Sponsorship of ICCR & British Council.
India
1981 - Poster Designing Camp "X" Group, British Council, Madras Print Making Workshop – Alistair Grant
1979 - Royal College of Arts, London/British Council, Madras.
AWARDS
Graphic Prints – Lalit Kala Accademi, Madras.
1980 Prize for Water Color, Chitra Kala Parishad, Bangalore
1972 CAG Awards First and Second Prizes
1971 First Prize for three consecutive years for Wild Life Painting Competition
1968, 1969 & 1970 Prize at Mysore Dussera Exhibition
SELECTED GROUP EXPOSITIONS
Yugoslavia
1985 - Two Man Show with sculptor S. Nandagopal
Titl Gallery of Non-Aligned Countries, Titograd
Germany
1995 - Two Man Show, Modern Art Gallery Alubjiana & Indian Cultural Centre, Bonn
France
1977 - Group Show: Sponsor "Crous", Orly airport Gallery
1977 American Contradiction, Paris
Japan
1983 - Kanagawa International Print Exhibition Spain
1983 - 3rd mini Prints Bennale, Barcelona
1984 - 4th Mini Prints Biennale, Barcelona
Canada
New Graphic works presented by 28 contemporary artists Maltwood
1994 - Art Museum & Gallery – University of Victoria
Dubai
2007 - Mapping India – A Celebration of South India
Thailand
2007 – Group Exposition, Bangkok
Taiwan
2007 – Inadian Artist, Taipei
India
1995 - Hope, Bangalore.
1994 - Art Camp Organiser - Maurya Sheraton, Welcome Group, New Delhi.
1993 - Trends & Images: Sponsor – CIMA, Culcutta & Delhi
1992 - Wouonds: Sponsor – CIMA, Calcutta & Delhi
1992 - Three Man Show with Raghavan and Bhavani Shankar - Jahangir Art Gallery
1986 - Three Man Show with MF Hussain and Leila Pawar "The Gallery"
1983 - New Delhi National Exhibition of Art
1981 - Art Trend in south India: Sponsor – Reginal Centre, Lalit Kala Akademy
1978/80/81/82 - Madras State Tamilnadu Oviyam Nunkalai Kuzhu
1978 - Madras – 71 Prints – graphic Exhibition
1975 - Lacknow National Exhibition, Lalit Kala Akademy
1971/72 - Bangalore Mysore Pradesh Chitrakala Parishad
1971 - Bombay Art Society
1971 - Madras Young Painters & Sculptors
1969 - Bangalore Art Trend in the South – Maxmueller Bhavan
EXCLUSIVE EXPOSITIONS
France
1977 - Maison De LInde Paris
1977 - "Crous", Paris
1976 - France Archives Municipales De Bordeaux
Austria
1977 - Vienna Biennale De Garbado – Graphic Arts
Germany
2003 - “Ganesa", Berlin
INDIA
Mumbai
1991 - "Force" Series, Jehangir Art Gallery
1975 - Taj Art Gallery – Hotel Taj Intercontinental
1971 - Taj Art Gallery – Hotel Taj Intercontinental
1984 - Calcutta The Calcutta Art Gallery
1973 - Gallery Chemould
1992 - Bangalore Painting Exhibition
1987 - Kala Yatra
1974 - Ashoka Art Gallery, Hotel Ashoka
2007 – Thumbprints in time, CPAA
Chennai
1999 - "Vinayaka" Kalakar Art Gallery
1996 - "Rajasthani", CITY Bank
1995 - EASEL Gallery
1991 - "Window" Series, The Gallery
1989 - "Summ", Sakshi Gallery
1988 - "Force", Sakshi Gallery
1986 - "Symphony", Sindoori Hotel (Dyanora)
1985 - Kala Yatra
1982/78/72/70 - Sarala Art Centre, Hotel Connemara
2003 - "Ganeshas" German
2004 - "Tamarai Neelum", Apparao Galleries
2004 - Forum Art Gallery
2004 - Aswitha Gallery [Rado Watches]
2004 - "Ganeshas" Painting
2006 - Symphony, Harmony & Liberty
2006 - Mechaniical Deities
2007 - Modern Trajectories, Vinnyasa Art Gallery
2007 – Madras on canvas, Forum Art Gallery
2007 - An Art Show For A Cause, Vinnyasa Art Gallery
Coimbatore
"Glimpses", Gitanjali Gallery & Sakshi Gallery
Nagpur
2006 - Originals (Group Show)
COLLECTIONS
Archives Municipales De Bordeaux, France
Ecole des Beaux Arts Bordeaux, France
Tourism De LInde, Paris, France
Maison De LInde, Paris, France
Mitsubishi Corp., Calcutta, India
ECC, India Hindustan Motors, India
Air India, Mumbai, India
SPIC, Mumbai, India
National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, India
KCP Chennai & New Delhi, India
Deccan Hospital, Hyderabad, India
The Catholic Syrian Bank, Trichur, India
TAFE, Chennai, India
RANE, Chennai, India
Madras Rubber Factory, Chennai, India
Chemplast, Chennai, India
National Art Gallery, Chennai, India
The Hindu, Chennai, India
India Pistons, Chennai, India
Kumbakonam Jewellery, Salem, India
Gallery Chemould, Calcutta
Ashvita Art Gallery, Chennai ,India
And many other private companies and individual collections in India and abroad.
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