ARTIST MANU MUNSHI, RENOWNED MOTHER-OF-PEARL ARTIST OF INDIA
Welcome to the Artistic Ecstacy of Artist Manu Munshi
Manu Munshi (1924-2009) was an Indian artist who is specially credited for 'Mother of Pearl Artistry'. On August 2, 1924, Munshi was born into a zamindar family in Chowgachhi (currently in Jessore, Bangladesh). It is still believed that his father, Anukul Charan Munshi, introduced Mother of Pearl art to India first. With the encouragement of his father and elder brother, the artist Annada Munshi, Munshi was raised in a sacred artistic environment (regarded as the Father of Indian Commercial Art by many). Munshi joined the Studio of renowned artist Prahlad Karmakar as a beginner after completing matriculation, getting inspired by Annada's wish, before enrolling in the Art School in Kolkata.
CAREER
Munshi started his career in the multinational advertising firm J. Walter Thompson. Later, he joined the Government Arts and Craft Board, but soon after, he left. He then joined the All India Handicraft Board, where he worked for 30 years before retiring.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, a former chief minister of West Bengal, sent his famous Mother of Pearl artwork, "Gandhiji's Noakhali Abhiyan," to America as the best example of "Charu and Karu art of Bengal." Numerous illustrious individuals, such as Satyajit Ray, Annada Munshi (his elder brother and the Father of Indian Commercial Art), Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, Attorney Subodh Chandra Roy, Subho Tagore, and others, have supported his artistic endeavours. "Indira Gandhi," one of his famous works of art in the Mother of Pearl genre, continues to be one of the best representations of Indian fine arts on international stages. He deserves praise for effectively portraying Tagore in various artistic poses.
DEMISE
After battling a prodigious amount of old age diseases, he passed away on February 20, 2009, at his home in Bediapara, DumDum, Kolkata.
LIST OF NOTABLE WORKS
1. Indira Gandhi (Mother of Pearl artistry)
2. Gandhiji's Noakhali Abhiyan (Mother of Pearl artistry)
3. Nur Jahan (Mother of Pearl artistry)
4. Tagore (in different forms carved on metallic plates)
DISTINGUISHED PATRONS
1. Satyajit Ray
2. Annada Munshi
3. Bidhan Chandra Roy
4. Barrister Subodh Chandra Roy
5. Subho Tagore
6. Humayun Kabir
7. Jehangir Kabir