Ambadas Khobragade, one of the great abstractionists in Indian art, was born in 1922 in Akola, Maharashtra. He studied Fine Arts at Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai in 1952. The early years of his life were greatly influenced by Gandhian values that made him aspire for higher purpose in life.

He, at one point worked at a government run Weavers Service Centre as a handloom textile designer where he met like-minded artists like J. Swaminathan, Rajesh Mehra and Himmat Shah. Their discussions and collaborations led to the formation of “Group 1890” in 1962. This stood for values of modernism that became the dominant idea of art by the 1960s.

Ambadas’s works were deeply influenced by the consistent transitions in the nature that culminated in the eloquent and exquisite artistic expression. His works were also influenced by the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. His magnificent works have been showcased in several national as well as international exhibitions. Apart from this, his works are also part of major public and private collections around the globe consisting of National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Glenbarra Art Museum, Japan; Ben & Abbey Grey Foundation, USA; State Gallery, Norway and many others. He was also honoured by Lalit Kala Akademi with the prestigious National Award. He died in 2012 and left a mark in the art world through his work.