Venue: Academy of Fine Arts
Address: Cathedral Rd,
Town: Kolkata, IN

The Academy of Fine Arts, in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is one of the oldest fine arts societies in India. The galleries of the Academy provide a whopping 6,300 square feet of space and has an auditorium, a conference centre, and several important and priceless collections of paintings, textiles, etc. The academy was formally established in 1933 by Lady Ranu Mukherjee. It was initially located in a room loaned by the Indian Museum, and the annual exhibitions used to take place in the adjoining verandah. In the 1950s, thanks to the efforts of Lady Ranu Mookerjee and patronage by Bidhan Chandra Roy, Chief Minister of West Bengal, as well as Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, the academy was shifted to a much larger space in the Cathedral Road. The Academy is situated at the heart of the city guarded by the St. Paul's Cathedral on one side, and the Rabindra Sadan-Nandan-Sisir Mancha complex, on the other. At present, Prasun Mukherjee is the chairman of board of trustees and Kallol Bose is the Jt. secretary of the executive committee. The Academy boasts an eclectic mix of prized collections of various paintings and textiles from the Bengal School, majorly gifted by Lady Ranu Mukherjee. There are some famous paintings here like Saat Bhai Champa by Gaganendranath Tagore, Shiva with Ganesh by Jamini Roy. Textiles include Baluchari, Jamdani garments, exotic carpets of the Orient, etc. Rabindranath Tagore's manuscripts of Bhanusingher Padabali find a special place. Artworks of the Tagores: Rabindranath, Abanindranath and Gaganendranath besides those of Sunayani Devi, Atul Bose, Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar Baij and Benode Behari Mukherjee are also there. The Academy also hosts very early works of Jamini Roy, and Jogen Chowdhury. There is a theatre auditorium in Academy of Fine Arts which is one of the most popular spots for performers and viewers of the city. Since 1984, an annual theatre festival is organised here. Shambhu Mitra's theatre group, Bohurupee, always s