Government College of Art & Craft, Calcutta

The Government College of Art & Craft (GCAC) in Kolkata is one of the oldest art colleges in India. It was founded on 16 August 1854 at Garanhata, Chitpur, as the School of Industrial Art, intended to teach industrial art based on scientific methods. It later moved to Colootola, then to Bowbazar Street, and finally in February 1892 to its present site near the Indian Museum. In 1864 the government took over the school, which was renamed the Government School of Art under principal Henry Hover Locke. In 1951 it became the Government College of Art & Craft. Notable principals include Ernest Binfield Havell (1896–1905), whose reforms emphasizing Indian traditions led to the Bengal School of Art, Percy Brown, Abanindranath Tagore (Vice-Principal), Mukul Chandra Dey, and Chintamoni Kar. The college offers departments including Painting, Indian Painting, Modelling & Sculpture, Graphic Design/Applied Art, Textile Design, Ceramic Art & Pottery, Design in Wood and Leather, and Printmaking. Its alumni include Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy, Somnath Hore, Ganesh Pyne, Jogen Chowdhury, Paresh Maity, and many other prominent Indian artists.