Manishi Dey

The younger brother of Mukul Dey (1895 - 1989), the pioneering Indian teacher and engraver, Manishi Dey was a finished artist in the `Indian Painting` and watercolor `Wash` technique. But later in his career he imaginatively and skillfully tried out cubist pictorial idioms and used rollers and spatula on different surfaces, which was a taboo for the Neo-Bengal School. He Studied under Nandalal Bose at Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, and later worked under Abanindranath Tagore. Manishi Dey went to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in 1920 and exhibited his paintings in Colombo. A fine woodcut artist, he traveled all over India to study the ancient and medieval sculpture and architecture. He settled in Bangalore where he found enthusiastic admirers of his works. His first solo show in Calcutta was held in 1928, and then his works were exhibited in many cities in India. Besides his watercolor and woodcuts, Manishi Dey`s oil paintings also found numerous collectors. His paintings, graphics, and drawings are in the collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, Allahabad Museum, Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, Rabindra Bharati University in Calcutta, Kala Bhavan in Santiniketan, and the Academy of Fine Art, Calcutta.