Education:

1930s- Rajkumar college, Rajkot

Prince of Wales Royal Military college, Dehradun

1935- Art training under Ravishankar Raval and V.P. Karmarkar

1937-1939 Art training under Sir William Rothenstein and Frank Brangwyn, London

History:

Mangalsinhji Gohil was a painter, muralist, and one of the first professionally hailed from Lathi, a minor state in princely India, located west of Bhavnagar in the Gujarati kingdom. His grandfather, Sursingh Takhatsingh Gohili, was one of Gujarat's most famous poets ‘Kalapi’ and was the state's ruler from the late 19th century.

In terms of theme and style, Mangalsinhji's art encompasses both the traditional and the modern. His artwork is straightforward, frequently overtly pantheistic, and is visually relaxing. Mangalsinhji, who was not professionally trained as an artist, acquired his skills by seeing many other artists at work, conversing with them about aesthetics, and then experimenting and innovating in his own work. In a retrospective of his works from 1930 to 1975, there are many different genres, compositional structures, and topics that show the many influences that can be seen in his works.

In 1932, he met Vinayakrao Karmarkar, who taught him about perspective theory and how to create effects with multiple dimensions. However, He was influenced by Somalal Shah from whom he picked up the wash technique and the skillful use of water colors. Following his love in art, he enrolled in Gujarat Kala Sangh, Ravishankar Raval's art school, in 1935. His time at the Kala Sangh broadened his perspective, introduced him to the creations of other artists, and gave him the chance to evaluate them critically. He traveled widely throughout Europe where his paintings were well regarded in the 1950s and 1960s.

The skill he developed to produce two-dimensional effects on flat canvas or paper surfaces, however, stands out in his body of work. He developed a powerful drawing hand, a deft use of color, balanced compositions, and an equal felicity when working with a narrative/figurative theme or a bright landscape during years of intense and consistent practice.

He organized his first solo exhibition in 1945, which received positive reviews from critics and art enthusiasts. He held exhibitions in Brussels, Mumbai, Pune, and Delhi. His creations are also featured in the New Delhi National Gallery collections. Kumar Mangalsinghji passed away in 1985. He received the Silver Plaque from All India Fine arts and Craft society in 1953 and Gujarat State Annual Exhibition award in 1977.

He passed away in 1985.