New Delhi: Renowned sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, 100, died at his residence in Noida on Thursday. Family sources said he passed away due to age-related ailments. His death closes a century-long life that reshaped India’s public art and monumental landscape.
- Fast Facts:
- Age: 100
- Cause: Age-related ailments
- Best known as chief sculptor of the Statue of Unity (182 m)
- Born: Feb 19, 1925, Gondur, Dhule, Maharashtra
- Training: Sir J.J. School of Art — gold medallist
- Honours: Padma Shri (1999), Padma Bhushan (2016), Maharashtra Bhushan
Sutar’s career spanned more than seven decades. Trained at Mumbai’s Sir J.J. School of Art, where he finished as a gold medallist, he rose from a small village in Maharashtra to become India’s most influential public sculptor. He was the chief sculptor and conceptual designer of the Statue of Unity at Kevadia, Gujarat — the world’s tallest statue at 182 metres — a work that has become both a national landmark and the culmination of his stylistic commitment to realism and dignity.
The Legacy
Ram Vanji Sutar’s body of work belongs to the civic life of India: his sculptures stand in city centres, institutional complexes and public squares, quietly shaping collective memory. His top three defining works include:
- Statue of Unity (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) — Chief sculptor and conceptual designer of the 182-metre colossus inaugurated in 2018, a global statement in monumental architecture and national symbolism.
- Mahatma Gandhi statue outside Parliament — A restrained, dignified portrayal that captures Gandhi’s moral authority and public presence.
- Equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Parliament House) — A commanding public work that demonstrates Sutar’s mastery of proportion and movement at large scale.
Beyond these, Sutar created statues of leaders such as B.R. Ambedkar and V.D. Savarkar and numerous civic commissions at home and abroad. Art historians note that his insistence on realism — carefully calibrated posture, expression and attire — allowed his public figures to convey leadership and restraint rather than rhetoric.
Social Proof
Condolences poured in across the country. President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid personal tribute, calling Sutar an artist whose creations immortalised India’s history and values. Cultural institutions and political leaders described his passing as an irreparable loss to the nation’s artistic heritage. Tributes highlighted his lifelong attention to craftsmanship — personally overseeing sculptural detailing and proportional accuracy well into his 90s — and his role in giving India an unmistakable civic identity through monumental art.
Sutar is survived by his family and a vast public legacy carved in metal and stone. As the nation mourns, the Statue of Unity and his many other works remain enduring reminders of an artist who turned material into collective memory.
Image Referance: https://www.thehansindia.com/news/national/ram-sutar-sculptor-who-gave-india-its-tallest-tribute-dies-at-100-1032065