Sumair
| Support Type: | Canvas |
| Paint Type: | Oil Paint |
| Current Location: | National Gallery of Modern Art Delhi |
Amrita Sher-Gil (1913–1941) was a pioneering and pre-eminent modern Indian painter.she was born in Budapest, Hungary, and spent her early years between Hungary and India, later moved to Paris, where she studied art at the École des Beaux-Arts. In 1934, she returned to India and worked in Shimla, Saraya and Lahore. In February 1936, she painted a portrait of her Rajkumari Sumair Apjit Singh (1918–2003), known as Princess Sumair or Being claimed member of Sikh royal family of patiala, and was a fashion designer. She resided in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation, was an Axis sympathizer, and was known for living a scandalous life focused on money, fashion, and men. Sumair was also bisexual and bigamous. This painting was created at Saraya, a family estate in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The portrait depicts Princess Sumair sitting gracefully in a rich dark green saree with a reddish-pink border, wearing traditional earrings and holding a small cluster of white flowers in her hands. This painting was displayed at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, as part of Amrita Sher-Gil: The Passionate Quest. It was also exhibited in Munich, Germany (2006–07), and at Tate Modern, London (2007). It was featured in Amrita Sher-Gil's birth centenary celebrations organized by the National Gallery of Modern Art at UNESCO, Paris.
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