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Awarded Padmashri
Awarded Rashtriya Kalidas Samman
Awarded Yash Bharti Samman
Krishn Kanhai — The Artist with the Midas Touch
Krishn Kanhai (born ) is a renowned Indian artist and painter, celebrated for his mastery in portraiture, realistic and contemporary painting, and devotional works on the theme of Lord Radha–Krishna.
Born in Vrindavan, Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, he is the second generation of the celebrated Kanhai Art. He learned the craft from his father, Padmashri Shri Kanhai Chitrakar, and became a master of traditional techniques that employ gold leaf and gemstones to produce spiritually rich and visually striking canvases.
Krishn Kanhai was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honours, presented to him by the President of India. Often described as an artist with the “Midas touch,” he has preserved classical methods while introducing innovative techniques that enhance aesthetic appeal and spiritual depth.
Beyond devotional art, he has explored folk themes and portraiture, developing his own distinctive style and establishing a respected school that continues the Kanhai tradition.
Krishn Kanhai — Master of Portraiture
Krishn Kanhai made a life size portrait in 2019 of our Bharatratna late Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the Central Hall of Parliament, inaugurated by the President of India Hon’ble Shri Ramnath Kovind in the presence of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and other national leaders. The President of India congratulated Krishn Kanhai by presenting him with a shawl as a symbol of best wishes from the Government of India.
He received his education in portraiture and fine arts from his father Shri Kanhai and completed his first portrait at the young age of 20. Since then, he has painted portraits of numerous national and international high-profile figures, including the 42nd President of America Bill Clinton, former Indian Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Chaudhary Charan Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav, current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, actress and dream girl Hema Malini, and industrialists Aditya Birla and Rajashree Birla, among others.
His reputation in portrait painting grew to such prominence that he also painted portraits of Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton at the special request of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which he personally presented to the Clinton couple during his visit to America in 2000.
Honors, Awards & Contributions
In 2016, on request of the Uttar Pradesh government, he painted life-size realistic portraits of the 22 current as well as former Chief Ministers of UP, along with 19 current and former Speakers of the UP Assembly, and one life-size portrait of Mahatma Gandhi.
This was probably the first time in Indian history that an artist has painted portraits of so many great personalities, including two Prime Ministers of India. These portraits adorn the portrait gallery inside UP Legislative Assembly.
In 2004, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri award for his contribution to the art of painting. The Government of Madhya Pradesh invited him for the National Kalidas Award 2009–10 and in 2015, the Government of Uttar Pradesh honored him with the Yash Bharti Award. He has also been honored by various other organizations across India.
He experimented with and painted various fusion paintings as well as modern artworks, which are in demand at present. It is very rare to find an artist who is versatile in traditional, fusion, portraiture, realistic and modern forms of art. He even designed costumes for the National Institute of Technology, which were awarded as Best Costume.
His paintings received such high acclaim that in 2004, a student at Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra named Sangeeta Gupta completed a Ph.D. on his father Shri Kanhai. Later, a student of Jiwaji University, Gwalior, Mohammad Wasim, also completed a Ph.D. on him and his journey as a painter.