Abanindranath Tagore's paintings to go on display

As many as 123 paintings of the iconic Indian artist Abanindranath Tagore would be put on display at an exclusive exhibition in the Victoria Memorial Hall here.

Abanindranath, the nephew of Noble laureate Rabindranath Tagore, was the first Indian artist to gain international recognition.

"His ability to juxtapose concepts of Chinese and Japanese artistic traditions to visually capture Indian nationalism is recognised worldwide," Victoria Memorial's curator and secretary Jayanta Sengupta told IANS.

According to Sengupta, some of Abanindranath's most famous paintings like 'Bharat Mata' and 'The Passing of Shah Jahan' would be showcased at the exhibition to be held at the end of January 2015.

"Sixteen of the paintings are from our collection while the rest are acquired from the Rabindra Bharati Society on a permanent loan," the official added.

Abanindranath's work had influences of his association with Japanese art scholar Okakura Kakuzo and Japanese painter Yokoyama Taikan.

He was the founder and principal artist of the Indian Society of Oriental Art. He was also thorough in the Mughal and Rajput styles of art.