Dayawati Modi award for artist Anjolie Ela Menon

Noted contemporary artist Anjolie Ela Menon has been honoured with the Dayawati Modi Award for her outstanding genius and significant contributions to Indian art and culture.
The annual award given by Dayawati Modi Foundation for Art, Culture and Education and comprising a cash prize of Rs 2.51 lakh, a silver shield and a scroll of honour was presented by V Narayanasamy, Minister of State here late last evening.
"I am greatly humbled to be chosen for this award which puts me on the same platform as distinguished people like the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa. I thank you all for believing in me. It is precisely this kind of belief that encourages and motivates me to continue with my work," said Menon.

The 73-year-old artist, who held her first solo exhibition in 1958 here has had a total of 48 exhibitions. Over the last five decades, Menon's body of work has depicted the evolution of the artist who continues to break fresh ground with new mediums, styles and subject matter.
"Anjolie Ela Menon is not only a great artist but she has also put India on the international map in the field of art. We are all extremely proud of her and look forward to seeing more of her work," said Naryanaswamy.
The artist's work is part of the collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Chandigarh Museum, the Asian Art Museum, San Franscisco and Fukuoka Museum, Japan besides many private collections across the world.

Menon has previously received the Padma Sri and the "Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" from the French government as well as the Life Time Achievement Award from Delhi government.

The award has been instituted in the memory of late Dayawati Modi, wife of industrialist late Rai Bahadur Gujar Mal Modi, founder of the Modi Group.
Previous recipients include Amitabh Bachchan, The Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Asha Bhonsle, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Prof Lokesh Chandra, Tyeb Mehta and Pantdit Jasraj among others.
The award has also gone international with recipients including singer Goldie Hawn and recently British screenwriter Simon Beaufoy who wrote the screenplay for the Oscar winning film 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

Satish Kumar Modi, President, Dayawati Modi Foundation said, "Anjolie Ela Menon is an amazing artist and muralist and I have tremendous admiration for her work.