Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum

Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum The Museum campus houses the heritage building with a thousand years of Indian art, the Indigo Art Museum and Modern galleries for art exhibitions.

Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum is housed in a colonial building showcasing over a thousand years of Indian art.The Claude Batley house, a space for exhibiting Modern and Contemporary art

We are back with our Bengal School series, continuing our exploration of the work of Mukul Dey.Following his time in Jap...
10/09/2026

We are back with our Bengal School series, continuing our exploration of the work of Mukul Dey.

Following his time in Japan, Mukul Dey travelled to Chicago and later to London, where he pursued further training in etching and printmaking, encountering established Western techniques and practices. He brought this knowledge back to India and made printmaking an important part of his artistic practice. Dey used these techniques and his artistic skills to explore subjects rooted in Indian life, depicting landscapes, architecture, mythology and people, as well as portraits of prominent figures of his time, including Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi, both of whom are represented in the museum’s collection.

Seen here is a detail from Gandhiji Correcting the Harijan Proof, a sketch with coloured pencils by Mukul Dey, made in 1945. The work captures Gandhi at rest, correcting a text, offering an intimate glimpse of Dey’s close observation of the leaders and prominent figures of his time.

For our next feature in the Bengal School series, we share with you a painted postcard from the Museum’s collection. The...
02/09/2026

For our next feature in the Bengal School series, we share with you a painted postcard from the Museum’s collection. The Museum’s collection of painted postcards, dating from around 1913 to 1940, offers a fascinating glimpse into the artistic training and everyday observations of artists and students associated with the Bengal School. Sent to their teachers from across India and the world, these postcards carried sketches of people, landscapes, historic sites and monuments, alongside personal notes and reflections.

This postcard, painted by Roop Krishna in Lahore in 1922, was sent to his teacher Abanindranath Tagore in Calcutta. Alongside the painted portrait, Krishna writes about a book recommended by his teacher, The Forerunner, and asks for his Guruji’s remarks on his year’s work and advice on how he might improve.

Portrait of an Old Man Holding a Staff
Roop Krishna
Watercolour on postcard and text in black ink
Lahore, 22 November 1922

For our next post about Mukul Dey, we follow him on his artistic journey to Japan. In 1916, he travelled to Japan with R...
29/08/2026

For our next post about Mukul Dey, we follow him on his artistic journey to Japan. In 1916, he travelled to Japan with Rabindranath Tagore, a journey that became an important part of his artistic education. During his stay, Dey studied under the Japanese artists Yokoyama Taikan and Kanzan Shimomura, deepening his engagement with Japanese painting. He was also introduced to the ideas of Pan-Asianism, which advocated cultural solidarity among Asian nations.These encounters broadened Dey’s understanding of the relationship between artistic practice, cultural identity and tradition. His time in Japan became an important part of his wider artistic journey, through which he brought together Indian subjects and artistic practices encountered abroad.

We share with you this beautiful portrait in drypoint he made of Kasturba at Sabarmati Ashram in the early 1900s from the museum’s collection.

When it comes to printmaking in India, Mukul Dey (1895–1989) is recognised as one of its early pioneers, particularly in...
25/08/2026

When it comes to printmaking in India, Mukul Dey (1895–1989) is recognised as one of its early pioneers, particularly in the practice of drypoint etching. His  journey began at Santiniketan, where he came into close contact with the Tagore family and received informal training from Abanindranath and Gaganendranath Tagore. He was introduced to printmaking early in his career and would go on to pursue the medium through extensive travels across Japan, America and Europe.

His work brought together Indian subjects and artistic traditions with printmaking techniques he encountered internationally, reflecting the Bengal School’s wider engagement with both Indian heritage and global artistic practices. Seen here is Portrait of Rabindra Nath Tagore, a drypoint etching on paper - early 1900s,  from the museum’s collection. In the posts that follow, we will feature some of his works on display at the museum while we also learn a little bit more about him. 

The Bengal School emerged from a search for a distinctive visual language for a changing, increasingly nation-oriented I...
21/08/2026

The Bengal School emerged from a search for a distinctive visual language for a changing, increasingly nation-oriented India. Shaped by the Tagore family, particularly Abanindranath and Gaganendranath Tagore, the movement brought together artists such as Nandalal Bose, Mukul Dey, M. A. R. Chughtai, Venkatappa, Surendranath Ganguly and Asit Kumar Haldar.

The artists looked to Indian traditions, drawing on miniature painting, mythology, literature and historical themes. Yet their engagement was not limited to the past. Around 1902, Abanindranath encountered the Japanese art thinker Kakuzō Okakura, whose vision of Pan-Asianism sought to affirm shared Asian cultural traditions. Japanese artists Yokoyama Taikan and Hishida Shunsō subsequently worked with Abanindranath and his students. Abanindranath adopted the delicate lines, restrained colours and atmospheric wash technique associated with Japanese painting. Alongside wash, artists explored gouache, tempera and printmaking techniques such as lithography and drypoint.

The Bengal School was therefore not simply a rejection of Western art. It was a dialogue between Indian traditions, Asian artistic exchanges and modernity, as artists searched for a new artistic ethos.

The Bengal School of Art, also known as the Bengal Revival, was an influential art movement that emerged in early 20th-c...
17/08/2026

The Bengal School of Art, also known as the Bengal Revival, was an influential art movement that emerged in early 20th-century Bengal, particularly in Kolkata and Shantiniketan, during the British Raj. Led by Abanindranath Tagore and supported by British art administrator E. B. Havell, the movement sought to develop an alternative to Western academic art by drawing upon Indian artistic traditions. Closely associated with Indian nationalism and the Swadeshi movement, the Bengal School played an important role in shaping the course of modern Indian painting.

Over the coming months, we will dedicate our next series to exploring this important movement through the artists, ideas and works of art from our collection that form part of the Bengal School.

From its engagement with Indian artistic traditions to its encounters with international art practices, we will explore the many figures, stories and influences that shaped this movement.

We hope you will enjoy discovering the Bengal School through our collection with us.

As we conclude our Nayaks and Nayikas series, we end with this scene of a bride being led to her bridal chamber by two s...
12/08/2026

As we conclude our Nayaks and Nayikas series, we end with this scene of a bride being led to her bridal chamber by two sakhis. Throughout the series, we have encountered the many emotional states of love, longing, anticipation, and union. Here, the sakhi once again assumes the role of companion and guide, accompanying the bride as she steps into a new phase of her life.

The bride is dressed in an orange peshwaz with a gold striped dupatta and minimal jewellery. One of the sakhis leads her towards the chamber, while another attendant stands at the threshold, drawing aside a curtain and holding a torch to illuminate their way. The quiet architectural setting, soft colour palette, and the gentle mood of the composition reflect the lyrical sensibilities of an artist working in the Kangra-Guler tradition.

Thank you for joining us on this journey through the world of the Nayaks and Nayikas, where poetry, painting, and human emotion come together in timeless visual narratives.

Bridal Chamber
Unknown Pahari Court Artist (Artist following the Kangra-Guler Style)
Gouache on vasli, c. 1750-1800 CE

A museum is more than a space that houses and displays art. It is a space for encounter, participation and the sharing o...
09/08/2026

A museum is more than a space that houses and displays art. It is a space for encounter, participation and the sharing of knowledge. As museums increasingly recognise accessibility and inclusion as central to their social role, there is a growing emphasis on creating different ways for people to experience and engage with art. We at the museum believe that art can be accessible to everyone.

Recently, we had the opportunity to welcome a group of four hearing-impaired visitors, with the support of Alka Arjun Vaghela, Sign Language Interpreter, who assisted with communication during their visit. Here’s sharing a few glimpses with you all!

The visit offered an opportunity to think about how communication shapes our experience of art, and how museums can create spaces where different forms of engagement and interpretation are possible. We look forward to continuing to explore ways of making our collections, galleries and programmes more accessible, inclusive and welcoming to all our visitors.

As we share the last few paintings from this series, our next feature is this work from the collection, capturing an int...
06/08/2026

As we share the last few paintings from this series, our next feature is this work from the collection, capturing an intimate moment between the Nayak and Nayika within a palace interior.

Seated opposite one another, the Nayak appears to engage the Nayika in conversation, while she reclines against a large bolster, caressing her hair. The Nayika is dressed in a semi-transparent purple jama, green payjama, and blue odhani, adorned with gold and pearl jewellery. Opposite her, the Nayak wears an orange jama, purple and gold waistbands, and a purple-gold turban.

The painting employs bold colours, geometric architectural forms, and a carefully balanced composition that keeps the viewer's focus on the interaction between the two figures.

Madhyama Nayaka
Pahari Court Artist
Gouache on vasli, c. 1700 CE

Continuing our Nayaks and Nayikas series, we see Krishna in the role of the Nayak. We also encounter the sakhi, the trus...
29/07/2026

Continuing our Nayaks and Nayikas series, we see Krishna in the role of the Nayak. We also encounter the sakhi, the trusted friend and confidante who serves as a bridge between the lovers. In classical Indian poetry and painting, the sakhi is far more than a companion. She carries messages, offers counsel, consoles the heroine, and helps unite the Nayak and Nayika.

In this painting, the sakhi conveys the viraha (pain of separation) of the Nayika to Krishna. Dressed in an orange dhoti with a translucent green odhani, Krishna holds a lotus as he listens intently, while the sakhi stands before him with folded hands, conveying the heroine's longing.

Sakhi Conveying the Viraha of the Nayika to the Nayaka
Pahari Court Artist (Basholi School)
Gouache on vasli, c. 1700 CE

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