The Bauhaus in Calcutta

In December 1922, the 14th Annual Exhibition of the lndian Society of Oriental Art was held in Calcutta. Drawing a huge crowd from Calcutta’s lively cultural milieu and its high society, the exhibition was divided into two sections: contemporary art from the Bengal school-- Nandalal Bose, Sunayani Devi, and Abanindranath and Gaganendranath Tagore--on one wall; and on the other, a display of watercolors, drawings, woodcuts and other graphic works from the Bauhaus, including works by Paul Klee, Johannes ltten, Lyonel Feininger, Auguste Macke and Wassily Kandinsky, as well as a selection of student projects. This exhibit was the largest and broadest showing of Bauhaus art outside of Europe. The Bauhaus in Calcutta tells us how this fascinating encounter came about, and presents the occasion as an exemplary case in exhibition history, in its attempt to explore common visions.