Born 1945, New Delhi, India

M.A. Fine Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda, India

Nilima Sheikh describes herself as part of the third generation of artists who have engaged with Indian traditions. To be specific, there was the generation of Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose and Benode Behari Mukherjee followed by the one of their student K G Subramanyan from whom she has sought inspiration.

The artist, trained initially in Western-style oil painting, has spent almost all of her student and professional life in Baroda. Nilima Sheikh was born in 1945 in New Delhi. She studied history at the Delhi University (1962-65) and painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda. (MA Fine, 1971). She has taught painting at the Faculty between 1977 and 1981. According to her, Baroda, in the '60s, was certainly identified with modernism. There was an attempt to clear the deadwood that had accrued around the older Santiniketan experiment. At the same time, many of the influential teachers recognized the value of history and of reinventing tradition.

Select Solo Exhibitions
2010
Each Night Put Kashmir in Your Dreams, Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai
2009
Drawing Trails, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
2003
The Country without a Post Office: Reading Agha Shahid Ali, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
1999
Painted Drawings, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
Images from Umrao, Nature Morte, New Delhi
1998
Galerie FIA (Foundation for Indian Artists), Amsterdam
Garden for Mother, Sakshi Gallery, Bangalore, Karnataka
1995
Song-Space, organized by Gallery Chemould, at Max Muller Bhawan, Mumbai
1993
Song, Water, Air, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
1985
Contemporary Art Gallery, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
1984
Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai
1983
Triveni Art Gallery, New Delhi

Select Group Exhibitions
2009
Tracing Time', Bodhi Art, Mumbai
2008
Baroda: A Tale of Two Cities', (Part I), Sarjan Art Gallery, Vadodara, Gujarat
Of Personal Narratives and Journeys', Bodhi Art, Gurgaon, Harayana
Horn Please: Narratives in Contemporary Indian Art', Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland
Mapping Memories – 1, Painted Travelogues of China and Greece, Gallery Threshold, New Delhi
2007
 Gallerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai
2006
Edge of Desire: Recent Art in India, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) at Mumbai and New Delhi
Back to the Future, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
The Lyrical Line, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
2005
Ritu/Mausam/Seasons, organized by Anant Art Gallery at Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi
Angkor The Silent Centuries, organized by Bodhi Art and Gallery Threshold at Bodhi Art, New Delhi
Bhupen Among Friends, organized by Gallery Chemould at Museum Gallery, Mumbai
Identity Alienation Amity, Gallerie Publishers and Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai
Change of Address, The Guild, Mumbai
Tree Basera, India International Centre, New Delhi
2004
The Margi and the Desi, organized by Gallery Espace at Rabindra Bhavan, New Delhi
After Dark, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
Interlude in Srilanka, The Guild, Mumbai
Edge of Desire: Recent Art In India, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia In Transit 2, presented by Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai at Alexander Ochs Gallery, Berlin
2003
Celebration of Color, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi
Contemporary Miniatures: India / Paksitan, The Fine Art Resource, Berlin
Crossing Generations: diVERGE, 40 Years of Gallery Chemould at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai
2002
Words and Images, The Guild, Mumbai
2001
Ashta Nayika, Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai
In Conversation, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
3 Contemporary Artists, Bose Pacia, New York
Once Upon a Time, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
2000
Celebration of the Human Image, organized by Gallery 42 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
Vilas, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Mumbai
Embarkations, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
A Global View: Indian Artists at Home in the World, organized by Fine Art Resource at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
1999
Theatre und Kunst, The Fine Art Resource, Berlin
1998
Contemporary Indian Art, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi and AI Funoon Gallery, Kuwait
Indian Contemporary Art: Post-Independence, organized by Vadehra Art Gallery at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi
1997
Indian Contemporary Art: An Overview, The Fine Art Resource, Berlin
1996
Chamatkar, organized by Center for International Modern Art (CIMA) Kolkata at Whiteley's Art Gallery, London
Water colours: A Broader Spectrum-III, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai
1995
A Tree in my Life, The Village Gallery, New Delhi
Inside Out: Women Artists of India, Middlesborough Art Gallery, Middlesborough, UK
Postcards for Gandhi, organized by Sahmat at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad
A Homage, 125th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Little Thatre Gallery, New Delhi
Portraits, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai
1994
Drawing 1994, organized by Gallery Espace, New Delhi at All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi
1992-95
Works on Paper, Gallery Espace, New Delhi
Contemporary Indian Art, Bangladesh Shilpa Kala Akademi, Dhaka
1990
Exhibition for Expressions, Women's Theatre Festival, Mumbai
1989
Artists Alert, organized by Sahmat at New Delhi
Timeless Art, Sesquicentennial Exhibition of Times of India at organized by Times of India, Mumbai
1988,95,99
Art for Cry, in aid of Child Welfare Organisation, Mumbai
1987
Through the Looking Glass, Centre for Contemporary Art, New Delhi; Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; Sista's Gallery, Bangalore; Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi and Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal