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Deb, who began his career as a graphic designer and later worked as a government employee, was little known outside close circles for his bold and well-defined canvases — works that took a back seat amid the demands of life.

“He graduated from Government College of Art and Craft, Calcutta, in 1956 and had a remarkable journey spanning seven decades of artistic creations. In fact, his peers included renowned artists such as Ganesh Haloi and Sakti Burman, who remember him for his brilliant artworks during their academic days,” shares his son, Shubhendu Deb. His wife Valarie adds, “My father-in-law was always very passionate about his art. We used to see him painting at the Lalit Kala Akademi’s Garhi studio. It’s only after we lost him in 2021 that we discovered so many canvases in the studio. When we took these for restoration and saw people admiring his work, we decided to revive his dream to have this exhibition. It’s our gift to him.”

Known for his evocative visual language that blended realism, symbolism, and social narrative, Deb has left behind a compelling body of work. This exhibition will showcase more than 40 original pieces created by him. These will include oils, acrylics, drawings and mixed media canvases, which will all be displayed for public viewing for the first time ever.

Artist-curator Oroon Das, who has designed the show, adds, “That I hadn’t heard of him, became astonishing the moment I came into contact with Deb’s surviving body of work: European style oil portraits from the early 50s to cubist constructions… His apparent lightness had me caring for what he had left behind. He was a rasik, alive to poetic possibility as a present continuous.”

One look at the painting titled Blossomed, an acrylic on canvas, and the expressive eyes of the flower woman are sure to captivate the onlooker. In stark contrast is his painting style in Three Graces, another acrylic on canvas. It’s interesting to notice and study how Deb swiftly altered his style, from one canvas to another, thus leaving viewers perplexed about his thoughts behind creating these artworks and his inspiration.

“Pratap Deb’s legacy belongs to the stream of consciousness we inherit as the trait of modernism; to understand the art of this land and to know ourselves in this world,” opines Das, adding, “But that’s probably not why I find myself captured by him. There’s something moving about his anonymous glide of marking time with imagination, consistently.

Catch It Live

What: Unveiled: Pratap Deb. The Artist. His Art. His Journey

Where: Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road

When: September 10 to 14

Timing: 11am to 7pm

Nearest Metro Station: JLN Stadium on the Violet Line