Akkitham Narayanan

• Name — Akkitham Narayanan • Born — 1939 • Birthplace — Kerala, India • Field — Painter • Awards — * 1963 Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai Award • 1965 Association of Young Painters and Sculptors Award • 1966 Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai Award • 1972 Cagnes-sur-Mer International Painting Festival Award • 2009 Kerala Lalithakala Akademi K. C. S. Paniker Award • 2017 Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Raja Ravi Varma Award

Akkitham Narayanan was born in 1939 at Amettikkara, near Kumaranallur in Palakkad district of the south Indian state of Kerala to Akkithathu Manayil Vasudevan Namboothiri and Checkur Manaykkal Parvathy Antharjanam. In 1956, he joined the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai from where he secured a diploma in 1961 and, on receiving a Government of India scholarship, he did advanced studies until 1964. His days at the Government College of Fine Arts gave him the opportunity to come in contact with D. P. Roy Choudhury, the then principal and K. C. S. Paniker, who was the vice principal of the institution, and Narayanan was also involved with Paniker's efforts to found Cholamandal Artists' Village in 1966. In between, he worked at Ethiraj College for Women for a short while, as a teacher of batik painting. He received another scholarship, this time from the Government of France, which assisted him to move to Paris to study at École des Beaux-Arts, where he studied until 1970; at the institution, he studied monumental art under Jean Bertholle and engraving under Lucien Couteau. Subsequently, he settled in Paris where lives. Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, noted Malayalam poet, is Narayanan's elder brother.

Akkitham Narayanan is recorded with the occupation printmaker. Recorded as having studied at Beaux-Arts de Paris and Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai.