Lain Singh Bangdel (1919–2002)
Bio
An Artist, Writer, and Art Historian of Nepal, the Late Sir Lain Singh Bangdel is a distinguished figure in the field of art, literature, and culture. A progenitor of the modern art movement, he is also best known as the "father of modern art" in Nepal. He introduced the modern trends of art into Nepal ("Bangdel era") with his pioneering one-man exhibition in Kathmandu in 1962.
Bangdel was born in 1919 in Darjeeling, India, to a family from Khotang district of Eastern Nepal. His father was Rangalal Rai, and his mother was Bimala Rai. After spending his youth in a modest Himalayan village, he was able to accomplish the Fine Arts degree from the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Calcutta, graduating first-class-first in 1945. For his further studies, he went to Paris in 1952 to study at the French National School of Fine Arts (Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts). The early 1950s were the critical time for him in Paris professionally, where he met and developed close friendships with other international artists: Paritosh Sen and Padamsee from India; Affandi from Indonesia; and Soshana Afroyim from Austria. He also met many renowned contemporary artists like Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in Paris that had a significant impact during his formative years as an artist. Bangdel was the first Nepali artist to study and work in Paris and London and made a name for himself as an artist with his distinctive, non-traditional Nepali style. With his unique style of work and also partly under the influence reknown artists of that era; his paintings are a rare synthesis of tradition and modernity, creating a form of truly international quality. After establishing his artistic career in Europe in the 1950s, Bangdel was invited in 1960 by the then King Mahendra, to move to Nepal to become a member of the Royal Nepal Academy in Kathmandu and further pursue his art. He respectfully accepted the offer, as returning to his homeland was the realization of one of his lifelong dreams. Subsequently, under King Birendra, he was promoted and served two terms as Chancellor of the Royal Nepal Academy, 1979 to 1989.
As a writer, he introduced a realistic writing style that marked the turning point in Nepali literature in the early 1950s. His popular three novels are Muluk Bahira, Maitighar, and Langada ko Sathi. These novels quickly became required reading at the college and university levels. And, finally, as an art historian, Bangdel left a commendable legacy for Nepal by leaving meticulous documentation of Nepalese Arts and Artifacts over 40 years of his professional life in Nepal. Based on this documentation, his book, "Stolen Images of Nepal," proved the stolen cultural heritage of the country and hence, was extremely helpful to facilitate returning of several important art objects to Nepal. His other significant books in Nepalese Art History include: "Early Sculpture of Nepal," "2500 Years of Nepalese Art," and "Inventory of Stone Sculptures of the Kathmandu Valley
Curriculum Vitae
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2025
Against the Current: Art, National Identity, and a Modernist Critique, University of Denver, CO, USA
2024
Lain Bangdel, Rossi & Rossi Hong Kong
Lain Singh Bangdel, Takpa Gallery, Kathmandu, Nepal
2023
Lain Singh Bangdel: Mountains & Migration, Bonhams, London, UK
2022
Lain Singh Bangdel: Moon Over Kathmandu, presented with the Rubin Museum of Art, Project Himalayan Art; on view in the USA at the Yeh Art Gallery, St. John’s University, Queens, New York (January–April 2022); Asia Society Texas, Houston, TX (November 2022–May 2023); and Otterbein University, OH (August–November 2024)
1991
Solo exhibition, Philadelphia, USA
Fifty Years of His Art, Nepal Art Council, Babar Mahal, Kathmandu, Nepal
1969
Solo exhibition, Denison, OH, USA
Solo exhibition, Washington, D.C., USA
Solo exhibition, Kathmandu, Nepal
1965
Solo exhibition, Kathmandu, Nepal
1962
Solo exhibition, Kathmandu, Nepal
1959
Solo exhibition, London, UK
1955
Solo exhibition, Paris, France
Group show, Paris, France
1954
Solo exhibition, Stuttgart, Germany
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1986
Appointed Chief Advisor, Archaeological Excavations at Harigaon, Kathmandu, under IsMEO
1985
Awarded with the Order of the Crown of Italy, the Commendatore, for his contributions to the study of early history and the art of Nepal
Designated a knight in France’s l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (The Order ofArts and Letters)
1984
Appointed Project Director, Inventory of Stone Sculptures of the Kathmandu Valley, UNESCO
1982
Published The Early Sculptures of Nepal
Published History of Ancient Nepalese Sculpture
1979
Appointed Chancellor, Royal Nepal Academy
1977
Appointed Chairman of the Nepal Academy of Fine Arts, Kathmandu
1974
Published Ancient Nepalese Painting
1972
Appointed Vice-Chancellor, Royal Nepal Academy
1968
Became a Fulbright Visiting Professor, Denison University, OH, USA
1965
Awarded the Birendra Gold Medal for his contributions to contemporary Nepali art
Awarded the Dulichand Gold Medal by the Government of India for his promotion of Nepali literature
1963
Became founding member and secretary of the Nepal Art Council
1961
Nominated by King Mahendra as a Member of the Royal Nepal Academy
Appointed Head of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Royal Nepal Academy
1951
Published his third novel, Langada’s Friend
1950
Published his second novel, Maitighar
Founded and edited Prabhat, a Nepali language literary magazine based in Kolkata
1948
Published his first novel, Muluk Bahira
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Embassy of Nepal, Washington, D.C., USA
Mt. Everest, 1968, oil on canvas, 91 x 61 cm
Mt. Ama Dablam, 1969, oil on canvas, 127 x 71 cm
Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan
Face of Mountain, 1985, oil on canvas, 130 x 122 cm
Reflection of Old Age, 1954–59, oil on canvas, 99.5 x 64.5 cm
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, USA
Kathmandu, 1968, oil on canvas, 107 x 81 cm
National Art Museum, Bhaktapur, Nepal
Landscape, 1976, oil on canvas, 46 x 41 cm
Nepal Art Council, Kathmandu, Nepal
Portrait of Eminent Nepali Dramatist Bal Krishna Sama, 1975, oil on canvas, 102 x 81 cm
Portrait of Former Prime Minister of Nepal Kriti Nidhi Bista, 1992, oil on canvas, 76 x 66 cm
Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York, USA
Blue Composition, 1968, oil on canvas, 50 x 50 cm
Untitled Abstract, 1968, oil on canvas, 50 x 50 cm
Abstract III, 1969, oil on canvas, 123 x 123 cm
Mt. Ama Dablam, 1969, oil on canvas, 125 x 69 cm
Centre Pompidou, Archives, Paris, France
Narayanhiti Palace Museum, Kathmandu, Nepal
Nepal Airlines, Headquarters, Kathmandu, Nepal
Nepal Rastra Bank (National Bank of Nepal), Kathmandu, Nepal
Newark Museum of Art, New Jersey, USA
Self-Portrait
1990
91cm x 107cm
Biographical Timeline
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