Draft:Chitra Ramanathan

Chitra Ramanathan is an Indian American contemporary visual artist and educator mainly known for her predominantly abstract mixed media paintings. Many of her paintings are created in expansive scale, or as multi-paneled works.

Ramanathan debuted in 1995 at Agora Gallery on Broadway with solo and group exhibitions of her paintings.^[1] Her work has been exhibited across the United States in galleries and academic institutions including the Florida International University, University of Illinois Foundation, College of Medicine, Illinois.^[2] Manhattan Arts, New York described her paintings as "tactile works that resonate with a quiet harmony" and "reflects the spirituality of her culture".^[3]

In October 2004, a pair of large-sized paintings by Ramanathan, were installed in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.^[4][5] Among her other public-art projects was a 13.8 foot-wide mural commissioned by Crooked Creek Elementary School, Indianapolis, completed in 2008, and five large-scale paintings created in varied dimensions were displayed in downtown Indianapolis in 2006 as part of the public art initiative by the Arts Council of Indiana.^[6][7]

In 2005, she was invited to the Royal Academy of Arts, London where she gave a visual presentation of her series of abstract paintings and conducted student tutorials at the Royal Academy Schools during the academic visit.^[8]