Born in Margao, Goa in the year 1926, it was the scenic beauty of his birthplace that inspired Laxman Pai to pursue art Starting his education at the JJ School of art in 1943 he later went to Paris for his further studies During his Bombay years, he came into contact with the members of the Progressive Group like FN Souza and SH Raza Later when he moved to Paris in 1951 it was Raza and Souza who helped him set things up as a student at Ecole des Beaux-ArtHis years in Paris had a profound influence on his artistic styles with his major inspiration being artists like Paul Klee, Joan Miro and Mark Chagall He was also deeply influenced by Louvre’s collection of Egyptian Relief sculptures Having spent his childhood is the lush green surroundings of Goa, nature plays a prominent role in his work along with human figures who are a part of the environment His work can be seen as a series of impressions about the various experiences of his life and are a seamless synthesis of the traditional and the modern He was honoured with the Padma Shri in the year 1985 and the Padma Bhushan in the year 2018 by the Government of India The artist currently lives and works in Margao, Goa