Nilima Sheikh (b. 1945) was born in New Delhi and studied history at University of Delhi before training in painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda under the influence of K. G. Subramanyan. Her interdisciplinary background has shaped a practice that brings together history, literature, and visual storytelling.

Working primarily in tempera on handmade paper, Sheikh draws from Indian miniature painting, scroll traditions, and folk art to create richly layered narratives. Her work explores themes of memory, displacement, womanhood, and cultural history, often weaving together mythology, poetry, and contemporary events into intimate, story-driven compositions.

She is regarded as one of the leading voices in contemporary Indian art, celebrated for expanding the possibilities of narrative painting through a practice that is both historically informed and deeply personal.