Bhupen Khakhar was born in the year 1934 in Bombay, and worked as a chartered accountant till the age of 38 before realising his true passion lay in art He then studied art criticism at MS University at Baroda That is when he started creating collages from calendar art for his paintings The 1981 exhibition, Place For People, that he organised along with fellow artists would heavily influence the shift of the Indian art aesthetic from Modernism to Post-Modernism 

His work was known to reference social groups, his own life, gender identity and often push boundaries A lot of his work also depicted tradespeople such as watchmakers, barbers and tailors Like his inspiration British master David Hockney, Khakar’s early work too dealt with the everyday existence of man While in Baroda, he collaborated with contemporaries like Gulam Mohammed Sheikh to create art that brought together Indian elements with the contemporary 

His travels around Yugoslavia, the USSR, UK and Europe meant that he received recognition internationally a lot sooner than he did in India He held an exhibition of his works with the help of his friend British artist Howard Hodgkin in the 1980s and in 1989 held a solo exhibition at the World Trade Center in Amsterdam Through his travels in the UK, he was also able to see a wider acceptance of different sexualities, helping him disclose his own through his art His male nudes evolved from small-sized solitary figures to becoming large-sized nudes pictured together

Museums around the world have showcased his solo shows including Knoedler Gallery in London, Gallery Watari in Tokyo, Gate Foundation in Amsterdam and Gallery Chemould in Mumbai Bhupen Khakar was awarded the Padma Shri in 1984 and the Prince Claus Award at the Royal Palace of Amsterdam in 2000 The renowned artist passed away in 2003 in Baroda