Paris Viswanathan
Velu Viswanathan, popularly known as Paris Viswanathan (born 1 January 1940) is an Indian painter, sculptor and filmmaker. He is considered by many as one of the prominent modern painters in India. He is a recipient of the Best Documentary Film Award of the Festival dei Popoli, Florence and the K. Paniker Award of the Kerala Lalithakala
Also recorded as Viswanadhan · Velu Viswanadhan · V. Viswanadhan · Velu Viswanathan
Paris Viswanathan
Kannan Shanmugam, Shanmugam Studio, Kollam · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Paris Viswanathan
- Born
- 1940
- Birthplace
- Kadavoor, Kollam, Kerala, India
- Field
- Painter, Sculptor, filmmaker
- Training
- Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai
- Spouse
- Nadine Tarbouriech
- Awards
- * 1986 Festival dei Popoli Best Documentary Film Award
- Nationality
- India · British Raj · Dominion of India
- Occupation
- painter · sculptor · film director
- Fields
- painting
- Education
- Government College of Fine Arts and Chennai
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Velu Viswanathan, popularly known as Paris Viswanathan (born 1 January 1940) is an Indian painter, sculptor and filmmaker. He is considered by many as one of the prominent modern painters in India. He is a recipient of the Best Documentary Film Award of the Festival dei Popoli, Florence and the K. Paniker Award of the Kerala Lalithakala
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Paris Viswanathan (born 1940) is a film director, painter and sculptor and a national of the British Raj and the Dominion of India. The film director was born in Kadavoor.
Paris Viswanathan studied at Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai. The film director worked in France. Paris Viswanathan is active in painting. Works by the film director are held at Musée d'art moderne de Paris.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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wikidata · Q7137372 · wikipedia · Paris Viswanathan
In this article
Biography
Biography
Paris Viswanathan studied at Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai. The field of work recorded is painting. Places of work recorded in the authority are France. Work by Paris Viswanathan is recorded in the collections of Musée d'art moderne de Paris.

Paris Viswanathan 2012, art is / India, uploaded to Vimeo by George Quasha under CC-BY-3.0 Unported licence on October 23, 2012.
George Quasha
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Paris Viswanathan • Born — 1940 • Birthplace — Kadavoor, Kollam, Kerala, India • Field — Painter, Sculptor, filmmaker • Training — Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai • Spouse — Nadine Tarbouriech • Awards — * 1986 Festival dei Popoli Best Documentary Film Award • 2008 Kerala Lalithakala Akademi K. C. S. Paniker Award • Illustration — Viswanathan at work
Biography
Biography
V. Viswanathan was born in 1940 at Kadavoor, Kollam in the south Indian state of Kerala. After early education, he joined the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai in 1960 where he had the opportunity to study under noted painter, K. C. S. Paniker. After securing a diploma from the institution in 1966, he assisted Paniker in setting up Cholamandal Artists' Village and moved into the village as one of the first batch of members. In 1967, he participated in Biennale de Paris; He settled in the city, the next year and has been living there since then.
Legacy
Viswanathan has participated in many international and national art festivals, including Biennale de Paris and the International Biennale of Engraving at Ljubljana and several art galleries such as Galerie, Ved Aaven, Aarhus, Galerie de France, Galerie Stig Carlsson, Höganäs, Centre Georges Pompidou, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi and National Gallery of Modern Art have staged his one man shows and retrospectives. He was also involved with the Art Rises for Kerala (ARK) initiative at the 2019 edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale where his paintings were auctioned to raise funds for the reconstruction activities of the Government of Kerala in the wake of the 2018 Kerala floods. He has also made a few films, starting with a series titled, The Pancha Bhoota consisting of 5 films, Ganga as well as a series titled Back to Elements. The catalogue raisonné of the work of VISWANADHAN, always known and identified under this name and spelling, is being prepared by Nadine Tarbouriech member of the U.F.E - Union Française des Experts - in the categories of painting, cinema, photography and literature. Viswanadhan work is represented in Paris and Brussels by Galerie Nathalie Obadiaand in New Delhi by Nature Morte Gallery The Sharjah Biennial 16 "to carry" dedicates a full pavilion to the work of Viswnadhan - curator Natasha Ginwala.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Paris Viswanathan”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q7137372: Paris Viswanathan
General reference · Wikidata
Awards and honours
Viswanathan received the award for the best documentary film at the Festival dei Popoli held at Florence, in 1986. Kerala Lalithakala Akademi awarded him the inaugural K. C. S. Paniker Award in 2008. He was also honoured with the Chevalier des arts et letters by the French Government in 2005. Got Raja Ravi Varma Award in 2018.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Paintings - Kerala. www.keralaculture.org. 2019-03-15.
- 2.Panikkar, Shivaji. Towards a new art history. D. K. Printworld. 237–238. 2003. 978-81-246-0230-0.
- 3.Artistic quest for an identity. The Hindu. 2007-12-21. 0971-751X.
- 4.V.Viswanadhan Profile. www.cholamandalartistvillage.com. 2019-03-15.
- 5.asianetnews. Interview :Artist Paris Viswanathan in Varthaprabhatham. YouTube. 2013-08-23.
- 6.Colours of the mind. Deccan Herald. 2011-01-15.
- 7.When art rises for a cause at the Kochi Biennale. The Week.
- 8.Art auction for flood relief a huge success. Deccan Chronicle. 2019-01-20.
- 9.Artist Details. Cholamandal Artists' Village. 2019-03-15.
- 10.Fellowship for Arakkal, sculptor Soman. The Hindu. 2008-01-25. 0971-751X.
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1- IndiaPlace
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