CALCUTTA: On August 26, a unique art exhibition, displaying the works of masters like Paul Klee, Braque, Salvador Dali and Chirico, among others, opened at the Victoria Memorial gallery in Calcutta under very Odd circumstances. It was inaugurated by eminent educationist P.C.Chunder,

Strangely enough, even art Circles were ignorant of the event till Tuesday,

Worse still, the Calcutta born artist, Dr.Bimal Banerjee, who made it all possible, was neither invited to the show nor his contribution acknowledged.

Dr.Banerjee, a professor of art at Columbia University, had donated as many as 83 canvases of assorted masters from his private collection to the trustees of the Victoria Memorial on August 28,1990, on the occasion of Calcutta’s anniversary.

The artist had collected them in the course of his 35year stay abroad. A US citizen, he now lives in New York where he is a successful artist, many honors having come his way.

Banerjee had imagined that by donating the works of world famous artists, he would help Calcutta in building up an exclusive gallery devoted to European art.

That’s how he came to first meet the curator of the Victoria Memorial, Dr.H.N. Chakravarty, who was glad to accept the works of art worth well over $2 million.

The only condition attached was that the works of art should be recorded and exhibited as “my gift in memory of my late parents,” the other stipulation being that they be displayed in one place and never be traded, loaned or sold.

Little did Banerjee realize it was the beginning of his troubles, the curator kept giving excuses, The paintings, meanwhile, kept rotting in a go down. Finally, it was agreed that the exhibition would open sometime in early August.

When early August came and went, Banerjee made frantic efforts to meet Chakravarty, but without success.

When the invitation card failed to arrive by Wednesday morning, he decided to investigate in person, but was shocked to learn that not only was his name as a donor missing from the card, but no reference was also made of his parents.

Banerjee charged the curator with making willful efforts to suppress the fact of the donation.

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 3, 1993