Lain Singh Bangdel (1919–2002)
Bio
Lain Singh Bangdel (1919-2002) is widely regarded as the “father of modern art in Nepal.” Spanning South Asia and Europe, his practice occupies a long-overlooked yet crucial position within the multi-centered development of global modernism in the 20th century. As one of the few South Asian artists deeply engaged in postwar European modern art, he propelled the modernization of Nepali art and contributed a distinctive perspective rooted in Himalayan civilization.
Born into a Nepali immigrant family in Darjeeling, India, Bangdel moved to Europe in the early 1950s and pursued formal studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Here, he encountered modernist currents such as Cubism, Fauvism, and abstraction, establishing strong connections within the international art scene.
His European experience shaped his artistic language, leading him to integrate the spiritual and cultural consciousness embedded in Himalayan landscapes into his work. Transcending mere representation, his landscapes became visual fields carrying civilizational memory. Returning to Nepal in 1960, he introduced modern artistic concepts to the local context. His 1962 solo exhibition in Kathmandu is regarded as a pivotal turning point, described as the moment “modern art arrived in Nepal overnight,” marking the formal establishment of modernism within local artistic discourse.
Beyond painting, Bangdel was an important educator, novelist, and art historian, dedicating himself to the preservation of Nepali art history. In recognition of his cultural contributions, he was awarded the title of Commendatore in Italy, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, the Gran Cruz from Spain, and appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the UK.
As international art history expands, his work is steadily returning to the center of academic discourse and major museum collections, assuming a vital role in the ongoing reconstruction of a global, multi-centered art history. - TANSBAO GALLERY
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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