Sculptor Ram Sutar, designer of Statue of Unity, passes away

Mumbai: Internationally-acclaimed sculptor Ram Sutar — who designed the iconic Statue of Unity in Gujarat, the tallest state in the world,  and 108-ft tall statue of Kempe Gowda at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru --  passed away on Wednesday night.

Many have compared his works to the mastery of French sculptor Auguste Rodin and Italian sculptor Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni popularly known as Michelangelo.
Sutar was 100.

“It is with profound grief that we inform you of the passing of my father, Shri Ram Vanji Sutar, on 17th December midnight at our residence," his son Anil Sutar said. 

Born on February 19, 1925, Sutar hailed from the Gondur village in Dhule district in Maharashtra.

Sutar passed away at his Noida residence. 

Sutar is a recipient of the coveted Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

Last month, he was conferred with the Maharashtra Bhushan award, the highest honour of the Maharashtra government, at Noida by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. 

In his long career, Sutar has designed 350 plus statues in 150 plus Indian cities. 

Sutar had designed the Statue of Unity which is the world's tallest statue with a height of 182 metres - a dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The statue honours Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, who played a significant role in political integration of India. 

In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote, “Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Ram Sutar Ji, a remarkable sculptor whose mastery gave India some of its most iconic landmarks, including the Statue of Unity in Kevadia. He has immortalised national pride for generations to come. His works will keep inspiring artists and citizens alike.”

Sutar designed the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a seated position, located at the Parliament of India. A larger replica of the same was made by him at the Vidhana Soudha. He is also the designer of the 108-ft tall statue of Kempe Gowda at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. 

Sutar also designed the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar  which will come up at the grand memorial  at Indu Mills in Mumbai to honour the chief architect of the Constitution of India. 

The Dhule-born artist has also designed the statue of Lord Ram, which would come up in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. 

In 1999, Sutar received the Padma Shri and later in 2016, Padma Bhushan from the Government of India. In October 2018, Sutar received the Tagore Award  for cultural harmony of 2016.

Sutar is a Gold medalist from J. J. School of Art, Bombay. Ram Sutar works with ease and mastery in bronze. He has mastery in realistic sculptures and has been recognized by various countries and Artists from all over the world.

His bust of Mahatma Gandhi has been highly appreciated and has been selected for installation in more than 450 cities all over the world including France, USA, Italy, Argentina, Barbados, Russia, England, Malaysia, Caracas, Germany, Australia, China, Egypt, Poland, South Africa and many more. Dr Sutar’s works have been appreciated in India and also all over the world. Artists from all over the world have visited his studio to see and learn the techniques of sculpting. 

Sutar’s son of Dr Anil Sutar is a sculptor and painter.