Born in 1935 at Santiniketan, West Bengal, Sanat Kar acquired his diploma in painting from the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Kolkata in 1955. He was an eminent printmaker and painter who was a founder member and the first secretary of the Society of Contemporary Artists.
Kar is an outstanding printmaker who experimented with various materials and invented the cardboard intaglio technique and sun mica engraving. His brooding paintings often have a dream-like quality and are usually executed in dark colours such as mauve, dark green, browns, magentas and greys.