In exchange for safety, Stefan Norblin and Lena gave up their whole artistic heritage as well as their dream home, which they were currently building.
After traveling through Romania, Turkey, and Iraq in search of safety in America, the pair eventually reached colonial India, where they lived for six years.
During their extended stay, the artist and Indian maharajas (rulers) formed an unexpected partnership, and India produced some of its best works of art that combine Indian iconography and Western aesthetics.
Several Indian monarchs hired Norblin between 1941 and 1946 to paint their palaces and even create art deco interior designs, which are modernist and glorify technology and creativity.
In his distinctively mixed style, Norblin stepped up to the plate by creating stunning paintings of Hindu gods, whole scenes from the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, and even the nation’s renowned tigers, leopards, and elephants.
His paintings can be found in the palace of the kings of Morbi in Gujarat state and the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Rajasthan state, which was once the residence of the monarch of the former princely state of Jodhpur and is now a luxurious hotel.
