Krishen Khanna was born in Lahore in 1925 from where his family moved to Shimla during the turmoil of Partition. Before leaving Lahore, from where he did his graduation, Khanna attended evening classes at the Mayo School of Art. After Partition, Khanna worked with the Grindlays Bank for more than 13 years. His first posting was in Mumbai, a city in which he was invited to join the Progressive Artist's Group, had his first major exhibition and sold his first painting - bought by Dr. Homi Bhabha for the Tata Institute off Fundamental Research. He was awarded the Rockfeller Fellowship in 1962 and was also the Artist-in-Residence at the American University in Washington in 1963-64. Apart from several one-man shows, he participated in group exhibitions like the Tokyo Biennale 1957 and 1961, the Sao Paulo Biennale 1960, the Venice Biennale 1962, the Festival of India in the then USSR and in Japan in 1987 and 1988. He received the Gold Medal at the First Triennale, New Delhi, 1968. He won the President's Award, International Festival of Arts, Baghdad, 1986 and the Gold Medal, First Biennale of Arts, Lahore, 1988. Khanna lives and works in New Delhi.