Couple and the Animal

Born in Kolkata in 1929, Rabin Mandal was a pioneering Indian artist and a founding member of the Calcutta Painters. Despite working in relative obscurity for much of his life, his artistic brilliance gained national recognition in 2005 through retrospective exhibitions in Kolkata, New Delhi, and Mumbai.

Mandal initially pursued a Commerce degree from Calcutta University (1952) but later followed his passion for art, studying at the Indian College of Art and Draughtsmanship and the Asutosh Museum of Indian Art, University of Calcutta. In 1964, he co-founded the "Group of Eight", a collective that played a key role in promoting modernist art across India.

Influenced by cubism and expressionism, his paintings depict tormented human figures, reflecting the social and political turmoil of his time. His works are now housed in prestigious collections, including The National Gallery of Modern Art (New Delhi), Osians Art Archive (Mumbai), The Birla Academy of Art and Culture (Kolkata), and The Jane and Kito de Boer Collection (Dubai).