Archive · 22 Aug 2026
Art Exposure Showcases Nandalal Bose’s Intimate Postcard Sketches
Nandalal Bose was a famous Indian artist who liked sending handmade picture postcards.
He sometimes drew on small pieces of paper instead of writing a message.
Some drawings were made to amuse children, while others showed people, animals or places he had seen.
An exhibition at Art Exposure displayed many of these small artworks.
Most came from the family of his daughter, Gauri Bhanja.
The pictures included a crocodile, a hippopotamus, foxes, a grasshopper and people from different regions.
Some fox drawings came from a storybook called Tak Duma Dum.
The sketches show that Bose carefully watched everyday life and could turn simple observations into art.
Art Exposure exhibited postcards and miniature drawings by Nandalal Bose, many from his daughter Gauri Bhanja’s family collection.
The works, mostly dating from 1930 to 1952, included informal drawings made for friends, relatives and children.
Bose used postcards and scraps of paper for visual messages, humorous sketches and childlike pictures.
The exhibition featured scenes from Santiniketan, Puri, Rajasthan and Bihar, alongside illustrations from Tak Duma Dum.
Highlights included sketches of a crocodile, hippopotamus, foxes, a grasshopper, local people and Santiniketan celebrations.
- Who
- The exhibition featured works by Indian artist Nandalal Bose, including material from the family of his daughter Gauri Bhanja.
- What
- Art Exposure presented an exhibition of Bose’s postcards, miniature drawings and illustrations.
- When
- Most of the exhibited works dated from 1930 to 1952; the article does not specify the exhibition dates.
- Where
- The exhibition was held at Art Exposure and included works depicting Santiniketan, Puri, Rajasthan and Bihar.
- Why
- The works were displayed to showcase Bose’s informal visual messages, observations of everyday life and illustrations.
- Artist
- Nandalal Bose (1882–1966)
- Exhibition
- Nandalal Bose: Postcards & More
- Venue
- Art Exposure
- Main collection
- Many works came from the family of Bose’s daughter, Gauri Bhanja.
- Date range
- Most works were from 1930–1952.
- Archive
- A separate cache of postcards sent to Ramesh Charan Basu Majumdar is held at the Jadunath Bhavan Museum and Resource Centre.
- Featured publication
- Tak Duma Dum, written by Jnanadanandini Debi and published by Visva-Bharati.