Academy of Fine Arts

Location: South east corner of the Maidan.
Address: The Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata,
2, Cathedral Road, Kolkata - 700 071
Hit the Spot: All buses going to Rabindra Sadan can bring you here. The nearest Metro station is “Rabindra Sadan" which is about a five minute walk.
Photography / Video charges: Strictly prohibited.
Nearest Railway Station: Howrah
Nearest Metro Station: Rabindra Sadan
Nearest International Airport: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
Visiting Time: Weekdays, 3 pm - 8 pm
Entry Fee: Nil
Time required for sight seeing: 2 hours

The Academy of Fine Arts was established in 1933. It holds exhibitions of works of contemporary artists throughout the year. It also has an auditorium inside where many cultural programs and group theatres are held. The section called the Rabindra gallery in the Academy exhibits manuscripts, paintings and personal belongings of the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. In the fifties, at the invitation of the then Prime Minister, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, there was a discussion between Mr. Nehru and Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. It was felt that there should be an art gallery in an important city like Kolkata. Eventually, the trustees of the Academy built the premises of the Academy during 1959-60.

The Academy has featured the paintings of many stalwarts including Jamini Roy, Jaminiprasad Ganguly, Atul Bose, Satish Singha, Hirachand Dugar, Dhiren Krishna Deb Barman, Ramendranath Chakravarty, Bireswar Sen, Lalit Sen. The annual exhibition becomes an occasion for enjoying the paintings and sculptures of artists of all over India. There are moreover continual solo or group presentations throughout the year. There is a permanent art gallery for paintings and sculptures, an art library and an auditorium for the performing arts.

The Academy has eight galleries on its ground floor. It is the chief portico space in India, and displays exhibitions by foreign and local artists and groups. On top of the large galleries in the ground floor, the academy has an all-embracing museum covering the entire first floor comprising an excellent compilation of diverse forms of arts. The Gallery of Contemporary Art is an almanac of paintings and sculptures of India from 1900 to the present day. It has a fine omnibus of Acharya Abanindranath Tagore and of his brother Gaganedra Nath Tagore, who introduced cubism in India. It also has the works of Abanindranath's famous disciples like Nandalal Bose, Asit Kumar Haldar, Kshitin Mazumdar , Samar Gupta and their corresponding disciples like Benod Behari Mukherjee, Sarada Ukil,Sudhir Khastagir and Ram Kinkar Beij

The gallery of Old Textiles has an awesome collection of antique textile prints from different parts of India. The Gallery of Miniature, on the other hand, has the famous Ram-Sita collection of 18 paintings: those that were given to Lady Ranu by her father, Prof.Phani Bhusan Adhikari. One can also find a compilation of 33 Rag-Mala series miniature paintings and the family collection of two hundred miniature paintings collected by Sir R. N.Mookerjee that were gifted by Sir Biren Mookerjee.

The Carpet Gallery is perhaps the only one of its kinds in India.

The Academy also has a Gallery of contemporary Graphics and Line Drawings.

In order to accommodate the rising collection, a new wing to the Museum was added in 1982. It not only has a display cell but also a special room for the preservation and the restoration of the art objects. The Academy also has an Art Library and a librarian for help.

Since 1957, the Academy also has a Studio-Cum-Sketching Club under the charge of the Secretary where live models and other facilities are provided. There is a junior section of the studio, for those aged between 14-18 years of age, where similar facilities are provided, except live models. A reputed painter is in charge of these studios and the works of the children are periodically exhibited. A mobile Art Van gifted by the West Bengal Government travels round the districts of West Bengal with a trained Guide-Lecturer accompanying it.There is a projection machine inside which shows art films. On its first trip, it had 21 paintings by Nirode Mazumdar on the forms of Goddess "Tripurasundari".

The Academy also has an attached air-conditioned auditorium at the back of the building which provides an interesting site not only for lectures, art films, symposia on art, etc. but also as a popular stage for eminent performing artists. Incidentally, its accoustics are among the best in the country.

Guest flats are available, which can be used by visiting artists and friends.

Grub Joints

Near the Memorial lies the Chowringhee-Park Street-Esplanade stretch which is a Grubbers delight in Kolkata. There are numerous restaurants which offer a range of mouth watering delights: blends of home-feel Bengali cuisines, to the spicy Mughlai, to the sizzling Chinese, to Italian and Continental spreads.

If one wants to try on the flavours of Bengal one should visit the Peerless Inn or the Oh! Calcutta. For Mughlai freaks, there is Aminia, Rahmania and Shiraz; Mainland China, Marco Polo, Chung Wah and Golden Dragon offer delicious Chinese cuisine whereas Domino's at Russel Street and Pizza Hut at Camac Street excel in Italian delicacies. Indian Cricket icon Saurav Ganguly's signature restaurant-Saurav's-The Food Pavilion is a grubbers delight whereas the British legacy is still exemplarily followed by Flury's. One could drop in at Peter Cat or One Step up! for Continental spreads whereas people looking for some cool beverages can drop in at Barishta or CCD. One can also treat themselves to the mouthwatering puchkas, sherbets, fruit salads and other road side delicacies near the Academy although they could be tough on the tummy at times!

Related External Link:
Academic of Fine Arts history