Born in 1971 in France, Maya Burman grew up within a richly artistic environment shaped by her parents, the celebrated painter Sakti Burman and French artist Maïté Delteil. This dual inheritance, Indian mythic imagination and European classical sensibility, deeply informed her visual language. Surrounded by art from an early age, she absorbed a world of narrative, memory, and figuration, yet gradually developed a voice distinct from both her parents.

Initially trained in architecture, Burman’s education instilled in her a strong sense of structure, spatial clarity, and compositional precision. Although she later shifted fully to painting, this architectural grounding remains evident in the meticulous organisation of her pictorial space and her attention to detail.

Burman’s artistic practice is defined by highly intricate, tapestry-like compositions, where pattern and ornament often take precedence over a single focal point. Working primarily with pen, ink, and watercolour, she builds her images through a slow, layered process. Beginning with pencil sketches, followed by washes of colour, culminating in finely articulated ink outlines. Her work draws from a wide range of sources, including Indian miniature painting, European medieval architecture, Japanese textiles, and decorative traditions such as sari borders and block prints.

Her imagery is predominantly figurative, populated by archetypal figures, flora, and fantastical elements that evoke a dreamlike, allegorical world. The influence of French Art Nouveau is evident in her sinuous lines and ornamental density, while the clarity and poise of her figures recall the later classical phase of Pablo Picasso. Rather than adhering to linear narratives, her compositions unfold as layered visual constellations, reflecting a philosophy rooted in imagination, play, and the fluidity of memory. She has described her work as "feminine”, emphasising lyricism and emotional resonance.

Maya Burman has exhibited extensively across Europe, India, and the UK, with a sustained presence in both solo and group shows. Her exhibitions include Galerie Sauret, Fumel, and Galerie 51 in France, as well as international presentations such as Dastok Visual Art, London (2007), the Indian Embassy, Paris (1999), and the Centre of International Modern Art, Kolkata (1998), along with an early show at Villeneuve-sur-Lot (1995). More recent exhibitions include Celebrating Spring at Art Alive Gallery (2017), Art Now ’19 (Fourth Edition) at the same gallery, Games of Life (2022), and Garden of Dreams at Nayan Naveli Gallery (2025). Alongside these, she has received several accolades, including the Prix Lucie Rivel (2002) and awards at the Salon de Colombes (1997, 2000).

She continues to live and work in Paris, contributing a distinctive, cross-cultural visual language to contemporary art.