Gopal Deuskar

Gopal Damodar Deuskar (11 September 1911, in Ahmednagar – 8 February 1994, in Pune) was an Indian painter, best remembered for his portraits and murals of notable Indian royalty, politicians, and diplomats. A graduate of the Sir J. J. School of Art and the Royal Academy of London, his murals are displayed at the Bal Gandharva Ranga Mandir and the Tilak Smarak Ranga Mandir. His portraits have been displayed at the New Parliament House, New Delhi, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Victoria Memorial, Kolkata, Bombay High Court, the Supreme Court of India, India House, London, and the Nehru Centre Art Gallery. A proponent of the Gurukul painting method, Raghuveer Bharam was his student.

Early life
The Deuskar family was originally from Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, but later settled in Ahmednagar. For three generations, the Deuskar family had a background in art. His grandfather Vamana and his father were sculptors. Gopal's father was an art teacher in the Mission High School. His great uncle Ramakrishna Deuskar was a famous painter of the 20th century. Along with the Nabab, he was instrumental in establishing the Salarjung Museum in Hyderabad and became the first curator of the museum. Gopal's mother and father died of flu when he was two years old. He and his elder sister, Shanta, were looked after by relatives until 1921. Later they stayed with their uncle Ramakrishna Deuskar in Hyderabad for six years. He joined the Sir JJ School of Art in Mumbai in 1927. He initially lived in Khetwadi as a member of Lalit Kaladarsha, a theatre troupe.