Osian's Auction Catalogue Creative India Series 1 Bengal | December 2011

Born: 7 August 1871, Calcutta, West Bengal Died: 5 December 1951, Barrackpore, West Bengal Education 1890s Studied under the private tutelage of Olinto Gilhardi and Charles Palmer Early 1900s Studied and discovered Indian art with E.B. Havell 1905 Tutored by Yokoyama Taikan on Japanese brushwork 1905-15 Government College of Arts & Craft, Calcutta Select Teaching and Infrastructure-building Activities 1890s Established a studio 1892 Drawings reproduced in Rabindranath Tagore’s play, Chitrangada Member, Bharatiya Shilpa Samiti 1895 Book illustration for Abhijnan Sakuntalam by Kalidasa 1896 Illustrations for his own book Ksirer Putul 1902 Paintings reproduced in articles on his works by Havell, in the ‘Studio Magazine’ 1905 Paintings reproduced in articles on his works by Havell, in the Studio Magazine Paintings reproduced in magazines The Modern Review and Prabasi 1905 Secretary, Bangiya Kala Samsad 1905 Established Indian Society of Oriental Art Founder, The Bengal School 1905-06 Vice-Principal, Government College of Arts & Craft, Calcutta. His department was known as the Advanced Design Class 1906-09 Acting Principal, Government College of Arts & Craft, Calcutta, after the resignation of E.B. Havell as Principal 1907 Founding member and Joint Secretary, the Indian Society of Oriental Art, Calcutta 1908 Paintings reproduced in articles on his works by Havell, in the ‘Studio Magazine’ Colour plates of paintings reproduced by Ramanand Chatterjee in his journal The Modern Review and also sold as prints The Music Party published in ‘Okakura’s Kokka’ 1909-1915 Percy Brown was brought in as Principal and Abanindranath made Vice-Principal. Abanindranath ultimately resigned from the art school and set up his own teaching class 1918 Drawings reproduced in Rabindranath Tagore’s works Gitanjali, Fruit Gathering and The Parrot’s Training Abanindranath Tagore 1930-8 Wrote ‘Jatras’ or folk dramas on themes from the Mahabharata and other Puranic stories 1940 Created toys called ‘Kutum Katum’ from roots and branches of trees, made to resemble an animal or human form Founder, Bengal School Formed the purchase committee of the Government Art Gallery, along with Gaganendranath Tagore, Justice Woodroffe, Norman Blount, Rueboson and Muller Select Awards and Honours 1902-3 The Passing of Shah Jahan, Silver Medal, Delhi Durbar Exhibition of Indian Arts & Crafts 1903 The Passing of Shah Jahan, Gold Medal, Congress Industrial Exhibition, Calcutta 1913 Congress Industrial Exhibition, Calcutta Deemed National Art Treasure, Government of India Select Exhibitions 1900 Government College of Arts & Craft, Calcutta (Inaugurated by Lord Curzon) 1901-2 Congress Industrial Exhibition, Calcutta (Awarded Gold Medal) 1911 Indian Society of Oriental Art’s United Provinces Exhibition, Allahabad Festival of Empire, Crystal Palace, England (Organized by Indian Society of Oriental Art for George V’s Coronation) 1914 Retrospective, Imperial Institute, London (April-May) 22nd Exhibition of Societe des Peintres Orientalistes Francais, Grand Palais, Paris Travelling to Belgium, Holland and Imperial Institute, England 1915-6 Indian Society of Oriental Art Exhibition, Calcutta &Young Men’s Indian Association, Madras 1924 Travelling exhibition, U.S.A (Organised by American Federation of Art & the Indian Society of Oriental Art) 1928 Athenee Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland (Organized by James Cousins) 1976 Academy of Fine Arts and Rabindra Bharati Society, Calcutta (16-27 August) 1978 Academy of Fine Arts and Rabindra Bharati Society, Calcutta (26 August-5 September) 1979 Academy of Fine Arts and Rabindra Bharati Society, Calcutta (1-7 September) 1991 Early drawings and sketches of Abanindranath Tagore, Chitrakoot Art Gallery 1996 Nandan Gallery, Santiniketan