APART FROM TEMPORARY exhibitions, the Royal Academy of Arts (‘RA’) in London’s Piccadilly has a permanent collection of works by its academicians. Amongst these pictures, there is a particularly fine painting by David Hockney. However, what caught my attention when I visited the RA today, 21 February 2026, is an unfinished portrait by the artist Dame Laura Knight (1877-1970). The sitter was Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (1900-1990), who was born in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), and died in Dehradun.

Vijaya’s brother was Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964). She was active in the fight for India’s independence, and was imprisoned twice by the British. After India became independent in 1947, Vijaya had several important roles, including (to mention but a few of her appointments): India’s ambassador to the Soviet Union, India’s High Commissioner to the UK, the first female President of the United Nations General Assembly, Governor of Maharashtra, and Member of India’s Lok Sabha.

Laura Knight met Vijaya in London during the late 1950s when she was high Commissioner. As already mentioned, the portrait is unfinished. In an article (https://pooleyville.city/articles/laura-knight-a-panoramic-view) about Knight, Ellie M Brown, noted that because her portrait of Vijaya was left unfinished:

“… we’re left with the clearest sense of how Knight worked as an artist. Beneath the vivid colours that capture the dignity, femininity and strength of her subject, we see the loose, free-handed brushstrokes that plot out the foundations of the final piece.”

I wonder why the painting was never finished. Was it because her subject was too busy for many sittings.? Who knows? It was interesting seeing this portrait of an Indian person because we had just viewed the RA’s exhibition of works by Indian artists, “Mrinalini Mukherjee and her Circle”, about which I will write another time.