Exhibition to showcase art in Bengal through last 100 years

A selection of 37 artworks showcasing the evolution of art over the last century in Bengal will be part of an exhibition at the upcoming Mumbai Gallery Weekend 2020.

Titled "Bengal through the last 100 years", the exhibition is Mumbai-based auction house Prinseps' first curated show, and will feature works by renowned artists from the region like Abanindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, and Bikash Bhattacharjee among others.

It will open on Thursday at Mumbai's Taj Art Gallery.

Curated by Prinseps' Menaka Mahtab, the show celebrates the birth of Indian modernism in Bengal's Shantiniketan, and focusses on the progression of change on entering a new decade, from the 1920s.

"The exhibition creates a narrative ark that traces the evolution of artists such as Abanindranath Tagore, who set the tone for the Bengal School style with his defiance of Western Classicism, to Jamini Roy, who presented an alternate Indian aesthetic by reaching back to the rich heritage of folk traditions.

"The progression of Bengal's distinct journey with modernism is further seen in Ganesh Pyne's abstract works and Bikash Bhattacharjee's surrealist pieces," a statement from the auction house read.

Other artists whose works will feature in the show include Satyendranath Bishi, Nandalal Bose, Ramendranath Chakravorty, Shailesh Chandra Deb Barma, Somnath Hore, Meera Mukherjee, Gaganedranath Tagore, Rathindranath Tagore and a few students who studied at Santiniketan.

The exhibition will also have a walk-through with Mahtab, as part of the official programme for Mumbai Gallery Weekend on January 12, the final day of the show.