In 1974, Dutt started his own firm, R.A.D Associates, for expanding his work in architectural and museum design. <ref name=”dagw”/>
In 1974, Dutt started his own firm, R.A.D Associates, for expanding his work in architectural and museum design. <ref name=”dagw”/>
Dutt’s designed pavilions and murals for [[Tata Steel]], Tea Board, [[Steel Authority of India]] received international acclaim. <ref name =”Galerie 88″/> With the blend of art and architecture his creation of commercial pavilion in 1972 for Asia1972 festival draw the specific attention of [[Indira Gandhi]], the then Prime Minister of India. <ref name=”robbar1″/> The Bengal pavilion have become permanent structure at Delhi. <ref name =”Galerie 88″/> Likewise, landmarks like [[Air India Building]] in Mumbai, Exide Industries and the Indian Institute of Coal Management, Ranchi, has been shaped by Dutt’s aesthetic. He contributed to the archives of the local head office [[State Bank of India]] at Stand Road, Kolkata. This has contributed to the financial history of the country. <ref name =”Galerie 88″/><ref name=”researchgate”/>
Dutt’s designed pavilions and murals for [[Tata Steel]], Tea Board, [[Steel Authority of India]] received international acclaim. <ref name =”Galerie 88″/> With the blend of art and architecture his creation of commercial pavilion in 1972 for Asia1972 festival draw the specific attention of [[Indira Gandhi]], the then Prime Minister of India. <ref name=”robbar1″/> The Bengal pavilion have become permanent structure at Delhi. <ref name =”Galerie 88″/> Likewise, landmarks like [[Air India Building]] in Mumbai, Exide Industries and the Indian Institute of Coal Management, Ranchi, has been shaped by Dutt’s aesthetic. He contributed to the archives of the local head office [[State Bank of India]] at Stand Road, Kolkata. This has contributed to the financial history of the country. <ref name =”Galerie 88″/><ref name=”researchgate”/>
Besides State Bank of India Archives, he further designed the shipping transport museum (the first floating maritime museum on the Ganges), the Earth Science Museum, and the Steel Museum in Durgapur.<ref name=”tsi”>{{cite web | url =https://thespace.ink/essays/ranen-ayan-dutt-painter-illustrator-muralist-graphic-artist-24-11-1927-03-03-2024/ | title = Ranen Ayan Dutt: Painter, Illustrator, Muralist, Graphic Artist (24.11.1927-03.03.2024)| date = 4 March 2024| access-date =2025-10-24}}</ref>
Besides State Bank of India Archives, he further designed the shipping transport museum (the first floating maritime museum on the Ganges), the Earth Science Museum, and the Steel Museum in Durgapur.<ref name=”tsi”>{{cite web | url =https://thespace.ink/essays/ranen-ayan-dutt-painter-illustrator-muralist-graphic-artist-24-11-1927-03-03-2024/ | title = Ranen Ayan Dutt: Painter, Illustrator, Muralist, Graphic Artist (24.11.1927-03.03.2024)| date = 4 March 2024| access-date =2025-10-24}}</ref>
Biography of Dr. Ranen Ayan Dutt, an eminent painter, illustrator and advertising bigwig from Bengal
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Dr.Ranen Ayan Dutt (24 November 1927 – 3 May 2024)[1] was a distinguished Indian painter, illustrator, muralist and graphic designer from Kolkata in West Bengal. He was known as a commercial artist in advertising sector for more than four decades. [2][3] and ranked among the Top 1 million globally in 2021.[4]
Dutt was born on 24 November 1927 in Sylhet during British India now in Bangladesh in a Hindu kayastha family. His father Rajanimohan Dutt was a freedom fighter and employed at a modestly paid teaching job at Sanskrit College, Calcutta. [2] His mother Priyobala was homemaker.[5] Ranen had artistic proficiency in his early years in pre-partition of Bengal, and he was inspired by Abanindranath Tagore and Jamini Roy. [3] [1][2] After matriculation, [3] Dutt joined Art College at Calcutta in 1942. He graduated from Government College of Art & Craft, Calcutta with distinction of first class in Fine Arts in 1948 [6][2] Painters like Zainul Abedin[2], Atul Bose, Ramendranath Chakraborti, Anwarul Huq were his teachers. At the end of his study at Art College, Dutt met and fell under the influence of Annada Munsi, a pioneer commercial artist. He took him to the world of commercial art. Dutt worked Munshi’s studio ‘Prakashika’ for a few days. [3] Dutt also had a connection with legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray as both trained under and were mentored by Munsi.[7][2]
Soon after graduating, Dutt joined Stronachs India as Art director in Bombay (now Mumbai). On his return to Kolkata, he joined J Walter Thompson (JWT) as its Chief Art Director.[1]Over two decades, he created several campaigns, promotional materials for major brands like Tea Board, Tata Steel, Jabakusum and Shalimar hair oil [2] and attractive campaigns – Made for Each Other for Wills Cigarettes’.
Dutt designed book covers and posters for Bengali cinema. His famous film posters include those for Tapan Sinha’s Kabuliwala in 1957[1], Ajoy Kar’s Harano Sur in 1957, Arundhati Devi’s Chhuti in 1967, [8] [9] He also designed the book covers for Advaita Mallabarman’s Titas Ekti Nadir Naam (তিতাস একটি নদীর নাম), Probodh Kumar Sanyal’s Agnisakshi (অগ্নিসাক্ষী) Kalikananda Abadsta’s Kalitirtha Kalighat (কালীতীর্থ কালীঘাট) etc. [10]
In 1974, Dutt started his own firm, R.A.D Associates, for expanding his work in architectural and museum design. [3]
Dutt’s designed pavilions and murals for Tata Steel, Tea Board, Steel Authority of India received international acclaim. [7] With the blend of art and architecture his creation of commercial pavilion in 1972 for Asia1972 festival draw the specific attention of Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. [5][11] The Bengal pavilion have become permanent structure at Delhi. [7] Likewise, landmarks like Air India Building in Mumbai, Exide Industries and the Indian Institute of Coal Management, Ranchi, has been shaped by Dutt’s aesthetic. He contributed to the archives of the local head office State Bank of India at Stand Road, Kolkata. This has contributed to the financial history of the country. [7][2]
Besides State Bank of India Archives, he further designed the shipping transport museum (the first floating maritime museum on the Ganges), the Earth Science Museum, and the Steel Museum in Durgapur.[12]
Alongside his commercial work, Dutt maintained a career as a fine artist, creating paintings, murals, graphics, calendar art, and watercolor paintings that often depicted Kolkata’s cityscape and everyday life. His prominent works in sketches include “Trafalgar Square” and “Darjeeling Station”.[1] notable scenes of foreign views of London city-life etc.[3]
Dutt’s artworks were exhibited in galleries like, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, Kolkata art gallery (50 paintings were on display) in 2015, [13]Galerie88 in Kolkata, which also hosted a retrospective exhibition in 2016 [7] Dutt has no solo shows. His first verified exhibition abroad was at Dag New York in 2021, in two groups shows, titled as Indian Blue: Fro Realism to Abstraction. Dutt has ranked among the Top one million globally. [4]
Dutt also tried to revive the pride in Indian history of mythology, folk tales and culture in his works of figurative drawings, landscapes and advertising materials. He stated in an interview-
I had no knowledge of western art. My art is swadeshi. My commercial art is inspired by deshi galpo (folk tales), such as the stories of kunchbaran kesh raj kanya (the princes with long dark hair)
Ranen Ayan Dutt was awarded a D. Litt by Rabindra Bharati University in 1999 for his contribution in Applied Art.[3]
He was also a member of the Bengal chapter of the Art Society of India.
Personal Life and Death
[edit]
Ranen Ayan married Hillola, daughter of Umashankar Dutta, a lawyer of Silchar, Assam in 1954. The couple was residing at Dover Lane, Ballygunge, Kolkata.[14] He used to paint regularly till his nineties. He was admitted on Sunday, 3rd March 2024, to a nursing home for respiratory problems but passed away at night and survived by wife and two daughters.[6]
CSSSC, a social science and humanities research and teaching institute in Kolkata, honored Ranen Ayan Dutt, publishing its 2025 commemorative calendar where they showcased his varied selected artworks, from visual archives of Jadunath Bhavan Museum and Resource Centre (JBMRC), a unit of CSSSC. Dutt’s artworks for a 1961 Philips India Ltd calendar on “Boats and Ships” have been featured in the calendar.[15] [9]
Category: 1927 births
Category: 2024 deaths
Category: Government College of Art & Craft alumni
Category: Indian painters
Category: Artists from Kolkata
