In the ever-evolving landscape of modern Indian art, few names evoke the quiet strength and earthy lyricism of rural Bengal like Sunil Madhav Sen (1910-1979). A pioneer who chose brush over gravel, Sunil Madhav Sen’s journey from Law to the heart of India’s modernist movement is a testament to the power of personal calling.
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Sunil Madhav Sen (1910-1979) was a modern artist whose art echoed the soil, people and spirit of Rarh Bengal. Though he studied law, his heart belonged to colors. Leaving behind a legal career, he turned to canvas, shaping a visual language that drew from the red soil of his childhood, the rhythms of tribal life and the quiet dignity of everyday moments.
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Sunil Madhav Sen (1910-1979) was an artist whose work reflected an abiding intimacy with the land and ethos of Rural Bengal. Quietly perceptive and inwardly alert, he drew inspiration from the textured rhythms of village life and the unadorned poetry of everyday moments. Rather than seeking recognition, he remained committed to authenticity - shaping a visual language that was contemplative, grounded and steeped in lived memory.
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Rarh Bengal, with its rugged red soil and undulating laterite terrain, was more than just a backdrop to Sunil Madhav Sen’s (1910-1979) early life - it was his first teacher, which left a long-lasting impression on Sunil Madhav Sen’s inner world. For Sunil Madhav Sen it was not merely something to look at, it was something he lived. From this soil, his earliest impressions of life and art took root and what he absorbed here would return again and again, in his works - not always as direct representations, but as feelings and texture.
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Sunil Madhav Sen (1910-1979) was a pioneering modernist painter from Bengal, known for blending together rural sensibilities with avant-garde techniques. He was born in Purulia, a region that lies within the Rarh Bengal, which is mainly known for its red soil, rich cultural heritage, folk tradition and art. Sunil Madhav Sen’s roots in this culturally vibrant and geographically unique land played a significant role in shaping his artistic sensibilities.
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A rare catalogue raisonné of Bhanu Athaiya’s fine art and formative years at the J.J. School of Art—spotlighting the only woman in the Progressive Artists’ Group, who redefined her artistic journey through costume design and became India’s first Oscar winner.
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Prinseps, in collaboration with Dhoomimal Gallery, presented F.N. Souza: A Continuum—a landmark exhibition marking the centenary year of Francis Newton Souza. Opening on March 25, 2025, in New Delhi, the exhibition invited viewers to look beyond the myth and into the inner world of one of India’s most influential modernists.
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শিল্পকলার অগ্রগতিতে বিভিন্ন সংগঠন কাজ করে আসছে। ইতিহাসের পাতা থেকে জানা যায় কলকাতায় প্রথম এই ধরণের সংগঠনের জন্ম হয় ১৮৩০ সালে, যার নাম 'ব্রাশ ক্লাব' (Brush Club)। কয়েকজন ভারতীয় ও ব্রিটিশ উদ্যোক্তাদের মধ্যে মধ্যমনি ছিলেন প্রিন্স দ্বারকানাথ ঠাকুর। এর আয়ু ছিল স্বল্পকাল। এরপর কালে কালে এক এক করে অনেক সংগঠন প্রতিষ্ঠিত হয়েছে স্বল্পায়ু নিয়ে। একমাত্র ১৯০৭ সালে প্রতিষ্ঠিত ইন্ডিয়ান সোসাইটি অফ ওরিয়েন্টাল আর্ট (Indian Society of Oriental Art) এখনও সক্রিয়। সাম্প্রতিক কালে এই রকম কয়েকটি সক্রিয় প্রতিষ্ঠানের একটি হলো প্রিন্সেপস (Prinseps)।
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Francis Newton Souza’s early years in Goa were immersed in Catholic tradition, shaped by his grandmother, Leopoldina Saldanha. After contracting smallpox in Bombay, he was sent back to Saligao in 1929, where his childhood was steeped in religious rituals. His grandmother, deeply devout, led the family in nightly Rosary prayers and Sunday Mass, filling his imagination with stories of saints, martyrdom, and biblical events.
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As we unravel the lesser-known facets of Souza’s personal life, we move beyond the Enfant terrible label often attached to him. Offering an intimate glimpse of the man behind the masterpieces—we see a portrait of a doting father, hunched over his desk. He wields his quill gently; unlike the bold, urgent strokes of his brush. His ink spills onto his letters, lined with affection and longing, as he writes to his daughter Keren, “Lots of love and kisses. Write me.”
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Francis Newton Souza’s years in London marked a crucial turning point in his artistic journey, shaped not just by the city’s post-war modernist currents but also by his deep and transformative relationship with Liselotte Souza née Kristian (ancestry Kohn).
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Souza’s artistic evolution was not shaped by painters alone. While Picasso informed his visual language, it was Franz Kafka who gave form to his inner unrest. The influence of Kafka—never examined as part of Souza’s oeuvre—runs deep through his art and writings.
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From his early years in Bombay to his rise in London, Souza saw Picasso as an artistic influence and a kindred spirit. The parallels were striking. Both were expelled from art institutions, briefly associated with the Communist Party, and deeply engaged with the written word.
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F.N. Souza’s fascination with the human body began early—his expulsion from school in 1939 for drawing explicit anatomical sketches hinted at an obsession that deepened over time. Even in the 1940s, his clinically labeled studies dissected the body with scientific precision, mapping muscles, and bones in a relentless exploration of form.
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The 1940s were a decade of political urgency and artistic transformation in India—especially in Bombay, where anti-colonial movements, Marxist cultural activism, and encounters with European émigrés sparked a radical new visual language. As the Quit India Movement mobilized students and artists alike, figures like P.C. Joshi and Mulk Raj Anand rallied for an art that was politically engaged and socially conscious. The Progressive Writers’ Association, the Calcutta Group, and the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) all shaped a cultural climate where art and resistance were deeply intertwined.
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This timeline traces the life and work of Francis Newton Souza (1924–2002), mapping the personal losses, political upheavals, and artistic milestones that shaped one of modern India’s most radical and uncompromising painters. Born in colonial Goa and raised between Bombay and Saligao, Souza’s early years were marked by rebellion—against convention, religious orthodoxy, and artistic mediocrity.
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Various organizations have been working for the advancement of art. From the pages of history, we learn that the first such organization in Calcutta was founded in 1830, named the Brush Club. At that time Prince Dwarakanath Tagore was at the forefront among several Indian and British entrepreneurs. Its lifespan was short. Over time, many organizations were established one after another, but with short lifespans. The Indian Society of Oriental Art founded in 1907, is the only one that remains active to this day. In recent time, one of the active institutions of this kind is Prinseps.
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We’re excited to introduce one of the most innovative tokenization projects in the art world—featuring the works of Keren SouzaKohn, daughter of the iconic modernist artist F.N. Souza. In this groundbreaking initiative, around 900 of Keren’s artworks are being converted into tokens. Each owner of a token holds a one-to-one share of the physical artwork, while also receiving a digital image. This project is not only a revolution in art ownership but also a step towards democratizing the art world.
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We are proud to present a groundbreaking NFT project that seamlessly merges the worlds of music and visual art.
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On 17th March 1945, Shahid Suhrawardy, the art critic for the esteemed daily The Statesman, wrote a critique on the first exhibition of the Calcutta Group - a collective of eight young artists whose motto was that “Art should be international and inter-dependent”.
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