Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati’s fine arts department, will for the first time hold a large-scale exhibition of paintings and sculptures of its famous teachers and students since its inception 100 years ago.

Kala Bhavana was set up by Rabindranath Tagore in 1919. To celebrate the department’s centenary, the university has decided to organise a year-long programme that will have workshops, seminars and exhibitions. The celebrations will start with a three-week exhibition on November 30.

The works of 50 eminent teachers and students of Kala Bhavana, including Rabindranath Tagore, his nephew Abanindranath Tagore and other stalwarts such as Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar Baij, Binod Behari Mukherjee, Somnath Hore and Jogen Chowdhury will be on display.

The exhibition will showcase around 80 original paintings, prints and sculptures.

Goutam Das, the principal of Kala Bhavana, said: “We have organised several exhibitions of the works of several eminent artists. But this is the first time we will organise such a large-scale exhibition of our collections. The exhibition will kick off our centenary celebrations.”

Kala Bhavana sources said the works of several noted women artists would also be displayed. The artists include Abanindranath Tagore’s sisters Pratima Devi and Sunayani Devi, and Jaya Appaswami. They were students of Kala Bhavana in the early 1930s.

Art historian and Kala Bhavana professor R. Siva Kumar told The Telegraph: “There will be artworks of eminent women alumni and teachers of Kala Bhavana. We will also exhibit paintings of Jaya Appaswami, based on whom Ramkinkar Baij made his sculpture Sujata. We are hopeful that art lovers and people will enjoy the exhibition.”

“Kala Bhavana is holding such a large-scale exhibition for the first time,” Siva Kumar added.

Apart from the introductory exhibition, Kala Bhavana has planned to organise workshops, seminars and several more exhibitions next year.

In January the department will organise an art workshop with the help of the Lalit Kala Academy. There will also be a meeting in which representatives of 10 countries will be present. The March meeting will be organised in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

The annual art fair of Kala Bhavana — Nandan Mela — will be held on December 1 and 2. The fair attracts thousands of tourists and art lovers from across the country and abroad.

“This time, the art lovers who will visit Nandan Mela will also get to see the three-week exhibition of the stalwarts,” said Rishi Barua, the vice-principal of Kala Bhavana.

A painting by Abanindranath Tagore Kala Bhavana