Vibrant hues of Indian art on display at Lucknow University

LUCKNOW: A priceless collection of paintings by renowned artists, including three close associates of Rabindranath Tagore’s family – Nandlal Bose, Asit Kumar Haldar and Sudhir Ranjan Khastgir – are now a part of the Radha Kamal Mukherjee Art gallery and Museum at Tagore Library of the Lucknow University.
The gallery, inaugurated by Governor Anandiben Patel during LU’s centenary celebrations on Saturday, has 451 rare paintings and sculptures.
These artefacts were lying packed in the second floor of Tagore Library since long. Recently, the university got them restored through INTACH.
According to deputy librarian of Tagore Library, Jyoti Mishra, the idea to have an art museum in the library was conceptualised in 1935 when a collection of paintings of various artists was donated by DN Bonerjee, a Gorakhpur based barrister. Since then, the collection of artefacts increased and was put on display on several occasions, but the original idea of having a museum has now materialised after about 85 years.
The museum has been named after Radha Kamal Mukherjee, a professor of economics and sociology, who also later served as the vice-chancellor of Lucknow University. He was also the head of the library for some time.
The museum houses art works of eminent artists like Nandlal Bose – who designed the Emblem of India and beautified the original manuscript of the Indian Constitution – besides Asit Kumar Haldar and Sudhir Ranjan Khastgir. Mishra said the collection includes masterpieces created nearly a century ago, including Haldar’s painting of emperor Akbar discussing the plan of Fatehpur Sikri, and Khastgir’s painting of a young lady with her shadow. Haldar and Khastigir also served as principal of LU’s College of Art and Craft.
One of the major artists of the Bengal renaissance, Haldar (1890-1964) was an assistant of Rabindranath Tagore at Shantiniketan. He served as a principal of Arts College for 25 years from 1925 to 1945. Khastgir (1907-1974) was a master of Bengal School of Art. A pupil of Abanindranath Tagore and Nandlal Bose, Khastgir graduated from Visva Bharati University, Shantiniketan, in 1929. He served as the principal of Arts College from 1956 to 1962.