Artist Surendra Pradhan, who with his cubism-inspired compositions started a unique take in the fusion of modernism in Nepali arts, passed away on October 23, in Kathmandu. Pradhan was 52.

An art enthusiast from a young age, Pradhan was already winning awards for his creations by age 11. His first solo exhibition came in 1981, shortly before he moved to India to study arts.

Influenced by cubists such as Pablo Picasso and Henry Matisse, Pradhan forged a unique voice in the Nepali art scene, mixing culture and identity. One reviewer wrote about his 2014 exhibit, Surendra Pradhan: Retrospective, “Each painting is a window, and what it frames stands on its own. Each parade scene and gossiping neighbours stands alone. Each is a window into life in Surendra Pradhan’s native land, and his identity.”

An alumni of BFA Sir JJ School of Art, Mumbai, Pradhan, of late, served as a faculty member at Lalitkala Campus and was involved in various art institutions and societies.