A distinguished painter, and pioneer of the modern and contemporary art movement of Odisha, Dr. Dinanath Pathy was brought up in a family of artists and poets in the traditional town of Digapahandi, Ganjam in Odisha.

In education and training, he combined both traditional Guru-Shishya Parampara as well as the modern university system. He studied at Khallikote, Bhubaneswar, Santiniketan and Zurich. He wrote two dissertations: History of Odishan Painting, and Art and Regional Traditions. He was awarded Ph.D. by Utkal University and Visva Bharati University. He was also the recipient of an Honorary D. Litt. from Berhampur University.

He undertook a wide range of significant assignments- a range spanning from Odisha State Museum to Odisha Tourism, from teaching to art administration and visualization to research. He was the Curator, Art and Crafts in Odisha State Museum (1972-1979); Founder Principal of B. K. College of Art and Crafts under the Department of Culture, Government of Odisha (1984-94); Secretary of the Lalit Kala Akademi, National Academy of Art, New Delhi (1994-96); and President of the Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi (2003-05). He was the Director, Alice Boner Institute, Varanasi (2000-2015). He collaborated with the Museum Rietberg, Zurich, Switzerland from 1978-2015.

His works have been recognized at national and international levels and have earned many awards, fellowships and scholarships like President of India Silver Plaque for Painting from All India Fine Art and Crafts Society (1988); A. L. Basham Memorial Award for Creative Research (1974), Institute of Oriental and Odishan Studies (1986); Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award for Creative Literature (1993); International Award for Painting, China Art Exposition (1998); International Rietberg Award for Research (2014); Prajatantra Vishuva Samman(2015); Dharmapada Award, Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi (2015) and Ila Panda Chitrakala Samman (2016).

Recipient of Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship (1997-98), he also received the Japan Foundation Fellowship (1996), Nehru Trust for the Indian Collections at Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Research Fellowship (1992), British Council Visiting Fellowship (1990) and Senior Fellowship, Department of Culture, Government of India.

Dr. Pathy was nominated to several distinguished international and national institutions. He was the State Visualizer and Designer for Government of Odisha for major national and international exhibitions including Kalinga Bali Yatra, Odisha Festival in Bali, Indonesia (1993); Designer, Curator and Commissioner for Festival of India Exhibition – Indian Popular Art in Sweden and USSR (1987); Commissioner, Exhibition on Decorative Arts of the Indian Tribe, ICCR (1989); Indian Commissioner, 4th Cairo Biennial (1992); Indian Commissioner, 7th Triennial India (1991); Curator, “Stirring Odissi,” International Exhibition, Kuala Lumpur (2008); Curator, IPCA Odisha Art Conclave and Exhibition Repose (2016).

His paintings have been exhibited in India and abroad, individually and in groups including at Museum Rietberg, Zurich; V&A Museum, London; Jurigi Gallery, Japan; OSA Convention, Chicago; China Expo, Beijing; Sutra Gallery, Kuala Lumpur; British Council Gallery, Rabindra Bhavan Gallery, India International Centre, New Delhi; Hotel Taj and Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai.

His works find place in major public and private collections including National Gallery of Modern Art, Parliament House, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi, Raj Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, India Tourism Development Corporation, Union Public Service Commission, HUDCO, British Council, Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi, Sutra Foundation, Kuala Lumpur, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Anna Vergati Collection, Paris, William Has link Collection, Washington DC, to name a few.

Dinanath Pathy authored and published more than hundred books which include Art History Volumes, Poetry, Short Story collections, Fiction, Travelogues and Art Catalogues in India and abroad.

Prime mover behind IPCA, his faith and conviction acted substantively in everyday reality, demonstrated in the excitement he wore about him and the time and effort he invested in defining IPCA’s mission and mandate. He was the shepherd with incomparable insight, herding his flock find their way home. He is deeply missed. Every day. Yet all that he brought us, all that he gave us – his dreams, vision, his work and wishes, the ethic of inclusiveness and his intense drive to enrich and enhance a platform of collaboration and partnership for the cause of art was the bequeathing of his legacy, now embedded in IPCA’s DNA. He remains our inspiration, strength and guiding spirit – ever so.