作者／史沃斯蒂・拉吉班達里・卡亞斯塔（Swosti Rajbhandari Kayastha）
這次在香港巴塞爾藝術展會上與萊因・辛格・班德爾的作品相遇，彷彿重新認識了一段長久以來在喜馬拉雅山脈的陰影中、並於整個南亞地區緩緩展開的現代主義敘事。對於我們這些在加德滿都，與班德爾的藝術遺產一同成長的人而言，這一刻不僅是一場享有國際聲望的藝術呈現，更像是一種以他鄉之地完成的歸返。
班德爾的繪畫——歷經加爾各答、倫敦與巴黎的洗鍊，最終在尼泊爾臻於成熟——此刻置身於香港，與匯聚於此的全球現代與當代藝術史展開更為開闊而深層的對話。
作為尼泊爾藝術理事會的策展人與公關主管，過去十餘年的工作經驗，使我得以回望這一機構的歷史，並重新思考那些憑藉想像力將其理念化為現實的關鍵人物。理事會成立於 1963 年，當時尼泊爾甫自長達一世紀的政治孤立中走出尚未滿十年；在那樣的時代背景下，這本身即是一項大膽而前瞻的創舉：它作為一個獨立的平台，讓藝術家與觀眾在國家逐步向世界敞開之際，得以接觸藝術領域中的嶄新思想。而支撐這一願景的核心人物，正是尼泊爾最具影響力的現代藝術家與文化領袖之一：萊因・辛格・班德爾。
班德爾常被譽為尼泊爾現代藝術的先驅，然而他的意義遠不止於國界之內。他所屬的那一代南亞藝術家，身處於歐洲現代主義與新興後殖民現實交會的歷史脈絡之中，在不斷往返與調適之間，逐步形塑出一套獨立的視覺語彙；這種語彙既非對西方範式的依附，也不受保守傳統的拘束。要理解他的遺產，我們不僅要看他的畫布，更要關注他協助建立的機構以及他所啟動的轉型——這些變革持續塑造著尼泊爾，乃至於日益浮現於全球藝術版圖的整個南亞。
他於 1962 年在加德滿都三摩耶中學 薩拉斯瓦蒂學舍 舉辦的首次個人展覽，如今被視為尼泊爾藝術史上的重要里程碑。當時的尼泊爾仍在適應對外開放不久的狀態，這場為期一週、共展出六十五件作品的展覽，向觀者呈現了一種前所未見的創作樣貌。展場中既有尼泊爾重要作家與知識分子的肖像、風景畫，也包括取材自拉克什米・普拉薩德・德夫科塔所鍾愛的史詩而創作、情感張力飽滿的《穆納－馬丹》系列，並與一批趨向抽象、運用大膽色彩與表現性筆觸的畫作並置呈現。
儘管多數觀者尚未具備理解此類繪畫的語彙，卻仍能直覺地感受到其所蘊含的力量。許多年輕藝術家日後回憶起初見班德爾作品時的震撼，形容那一刻彷彿現代藝術在一夜之間降臨到了加德滿都。
這一突破並非孤立而生。在返回尼泊爾之前，班德爾曾在加爾各答、倫敦與巴黎度過關鍵的藝術養成時期。在加爾各答，他就讀於現今的政府藝術與工藝學院，研習嚴謹的繪圖技巧，同時吸收了一種融合南亞與歐洲繪畫傳統的混合「*公司風格」。隨後在倫敦與巴黎，讓他得以親眼觀摩塞尚、布拉克、畢卡索、莫迪里亞尼等大師的作品；在法國國立高等美術學院的學習，以及與致力於為新獨立國家重新構想藝術的印度與南亞同儕交流中，他逐步磨練出一種既植根於歐洲現代主義、又精準回應南亞現實的創作語彙。
*公司風格（Company style）：18–19 世紀，英國東印度公司在印度殖民統治期間，當地藝術家應公司及官員需求，創作融合歐洲繪畫技巧與印度傳統元素的肖像、風景與自然歷史圖像，由此風格得名。
當班德爾於 1960 年代初期重返尼泊爾時，他所帶回的並非一套可被直接套用的外來現代主義形式，而是一種經由內化與轉譯後的創作理念；這種方法深深植根於喜馬拉雅山脈的地理與精神意象、尼泊爾文學的敘事傳統，以及普通民眾的日常生命經驗之中。1962 年的展覽，正是這一轉譯過程首次浮現在公眾的視野，也標誌著其現代藝術實踐正式進入尼泊爾藝術史的視野。然而，班德爾也清楚地意識到，僅憑一場具有歷史意義的展覽仍遠遠不足。尼泊爾所迫切需要的，是能夠持續運作的文化機構——這些空間不僅得以定期舉辦展覽、促進批判性的對話，更能將藝術家與觀眾，連結至本土與國際藝術的更廣闊網絡之中。
正是基於這樣的信念，他於 1963 年與一群志同道合的文化界與政府人士共同促成尼泊爾藝術理事會的成立。自創立之初，理事會便被構想為連結尼泊爾與更廣闊國際藝術世界的重要橋樑。班德爾擔任創會秘書近四十年，這一職務不僅需要長期而持續的日常投入，更考驗其對文化發展的前瞻視野。他的核心目標，在於將自身於海外累積的經驗與洞見分享給尼泊爾藝術家，並為後續世代創造得以實驗、學習與成長的制度性條件。
班德爾對尼泊爾現代藝術的貢獻不僅限於創作，更體現在他對藝術機構、展覽與文化研究的深度參與。理事會創立初期的歲月條件雖簡樸，卻蘊含清晰的文化願景。最初，它僅設於巴布爾宮（Babar Mahal）一樓的一間房間，尚無專屬展覽空間；即便如此，理事會迅速展開行動，在不同場域策劃展覽。
1963 年底，理事會於薩拉斯瓦蒂學舍綜合大樓舉辦一場具指標性的展覽，展出米開朗基羅、拉斐爾、李奧納多・達文西與帕尼尼等義大利大師作品的複製品。在國際旅行、藝術書籍與彩色圖錄仍屬罕見的年代，這些複製品為本地觀眾帶來啟蒙性的視覺經驗，開啟了通往西方藝術史的嶄新視野。正是在這樣的背景下，理事會逐步形成了明確的行動方向。
其策略清晰而果斷：透過自海外博物館與使館取得的海報、版畫與攝影複製品，將世界重要藝術作品引介至尼泊爾。在網際網路尚未普及、電視亦不廣泛的年代，這些圖像成為學生、藝術家與觀眾們學習西方藝術的重要媒介，使他們得以近距離研究跨世紀與地域的作品，細察構圖、光影與色彩運用。這種低調卻具前瞻性的行動，為尼泊爾當代藝術場域奠定了基礎，也促成其成為全球藝術對話的一部分，數十年後於香港巴塞爾等國際場合再次引起共鳴。
班德爾亦深度參與理事會永久展廳的設計。他汲取在歐洲與美國博物館的經驗，與建築師、理事會執行董事會成員納倫德拉・普拉丹（Narendra Pradhan）合作，打造一座兩層樓，且頂部設有寶塔式結構通向露台的建築物。在有限預算下，他們構想出光線充足、空間靈活的展示場域，既能容納大型畫作，也能滿足不斷變化的展覽需求。普拉丹回憶，雖然建築設計圖由他起草，但核心理念實則由班德爾確定——包括透過高側窗調控自然光線，並確保所有內牆皆可作為藝術作品的懸掛面。
全面落成的畫廊於 1991 年 4 月啟用，舉辦了由首相克里希納・普拉薩德・巴塔賴（Krishna Prasad Bhattarai）主持的班德爾個人回顧展。
展覽匯集跨越五十年的約 250 幅作品，從學生習作到成熟抽象創作皆囊括其中。肖像、風景、具象構圖與抽象喜馬拉雅景觀並列展出，使觀者完整追溯藝術家風格演變，同時感受他對尼泊爾深厚的情感連結。對許多年輕藝術家而言，這場展覽不僅令人耳目一新，也彰顯了尼泊爾藝術理事會作為現代與當代藝術真正家園的地位。
即便在政治動盪之中，班德爾對理事會的承諾始終如一。1990 年的人民運動（Jana Andolan）期間，一些藝術家對班德爾兼任尼泊爾皇家學院院長與尼泊爾藝術理事會秘書表示抗議，並要求他辭職。此舉不僅擾亂了理事會的運作，也反映了當時國內更廣泛的社會與政治緊張局勢。然而，班德爾始終堅守理念，捍衛機構使命，持續推動其份內工作。隨著時間推移，爭議也逐漸平息，那些曾反對的藝術家們也在最終表達歉意。班德爾持續擔任理事會秘書，直至 2002 年去世，其長達四十年的奉獻堅定不移。
除了理事會的工作，班德爾在其他文化機構亦發揮關鍵作用。1961 年，他加入皇家尼泊爾學院，先後擔任副院長（1974 年）與院長（1979–1989 年），成為首位出任該職位的視覺藝術家。在畢蘭德拉國王資助下，尼泊爾美術協會（NAFA）成立，並創建尼泊爾首座當代藝術博物館——畢蘭德拉藝術畫廊。班德爾最初任司庫，後升任主席，持續完善現代藝術的制度基礎。為表彰其卓越貢獻，他於 1998 年獲任皇家議會（Raj Parishad）成員。
同樣重要的，還有他作為作家與文化歷史學家的貢獻。班德爾對加德滿都谷地神聖雕塑日益猖獗的盜竊與非法出口的嚴重性深感震驚，因而投入數十年進行文獻記錄與研究。他的著作——《尼泊爾早期雕塑》、《加德滿都谷地石雕清單》與《被盜的尼泊爾文物》——在關鍵時刻編纂了尼泊爾雕塑遺產的完整視覺與文本檔案。透過原址拍攝、追蹤失蹤文物，班德爾為學者、策展人及追索被盜作品的法律行動提供了不可或缺的證據。這些出版物至今仍是研究尼泊爾有形文化遺產與喜馬拉雅藝術收藏倫理的重要基礎讀物。
說到班德爾遺產中最持久的部分，大概體現在他所培育的藝術家們的生活與創作實踐之中。無論是在理事會畫廊、薩內帕的花園，抑或戶外寫生活動中，他都以正式或非正式的方式引導學生，鼓勵他們嘗試新的技術、媒介與抽象形式。許多受他啟發的藝術家後來創立了現代藝術家協會及其他團體，策劃展覽與獎項，使班德爾的探究精神得以延續。他們記憶中的班德爾不僅是一位卓越的繪畫大師，更是一位溫和、慷慨的導師，他以身作則，身教言傳地示範何為藝術家與負責任的文化公民。
今天，隨著他的作品透過丹之寶畫廊亮相巴塞爾藝術展香港展會，我們得以更清晰地理解班德爾的故事如何融入更宏大的南亞與全球藝術脈絡。他透過繪畫改寫了尼泊爾的視覺語言，也改變了藝術創作、觀賞與討論的基本條件。他所協助塑造的尼泊爾藝術理事會、建立的機構、撰寫的著作，以及他培育的藝術家，共同構成了一個至今仍滋養新一代的文化生態系統。
對於在香港接觸他作品的觀者而言，班德爾的畫作不僅是一扇通往喜馬拉雅的窗口，更揭示了南亞現代藝術長期以來如何與地域、記憶與文化責任緊密交織。對於我們這些身在尼泊爾的人而言，在巴塞爾藝術展上重見他的作品，既是一種慶祝，也是一種提醒：即便源自喜馬拉雅的小首都，一位藝術家的遠見仍能跨越國界與時光，持續在今日的全球藝術舞台上發出深刻而有力的回響。
關於作者
史沃斯蒂・拉吉班達里・卡亞斯塔（Swosti Rajbhandari Kayastha）是尼泊爾文化遺產學者，現任帕坦博物館（Patan Museum）執行委員會成員及尼泊爾藝術理事會策展人。她擁有特里布文大學（Tribhuvan University）尼泊爾歷史、文化與考古學碩士學位，以及倫敦大學學院（University College London）博物館與畫廊實踐碩士學位。
她曾在尼泊爾及海外策劃多項展覽，並擔任博物館概念發展顧問，同時在多所機構教授博物館學、尼泊爾藝術與文化以及圖像學。2024 到 2025 年，她以富布賴特訪問學者身份駐訪舊金山亞洲藝術博物館，研究灣區及其他地區的尼泊爾離散藝術家，其研究成果曾於加州整合研究學院、皮埃蒙特藝術中心及科羅拉多州奧羅拉公共圖書館展出。她關於尼泊爾藝術與文化的研究與文章，多次刊登於國際博物館協會（ICOM）出版物以及其他國內外知名學術刊物。
Himalayan Modernism: Lain Singh Bangdel at Art Basel Hong Kong
Swosti Rajbhandari Kayastha
To encounter the work of Lain Singh Bangdel at Art Basel Hong Kong is to recognize a chapter of modernism that has long unfolded in the shadow of the Himalayas and across South Asia. For those of us who have grown up with his legacy in Kathmandu, this moment is more than a prestigious international presentation; it feels like a different kind of homecoming. Bangdel’s paintings—formed through years in Kolkata, London, and Paris, and matured in Nepal—now stand in dialogue with the broader histories of global modern and contemporary art that converge at Art Basel.
Working as a curator and public relations officer at the Nepal Art Council for the past decade has allowed me to reflect on both the institution’s history and the individuals who imagined it into being. Founded in 1963, barely a decade after Nepal emerged from a century of political isolation, the Council was a bold undertaking: an independent platform where artists and audiences could engage with new ideas in art at a time when the country itself was opening to the world. At the heart of that vision was one of Nepal’s most influential modern artists and cultural leaders, Lain Singh Bangdel.
Bangdel is often described as the pioneer of modern art in Nepal, but his significance extends far beyond national borders. He belongs to a generation of South Asian artists who moved between European modernism and emerging postcolonial realities, forging visual languages that were neither derivative of the West nor confined by conservative tradition. To understand his legacy, we must look not only at his canvases but also at the institutions he helped build and the transformations he set in motion—changes that continue to shape how Nepal, and increasingly South Asia, appears on the global art map.
His first solo exhibition in Kathmandu, held in 1962 at Saraswati Sadan, Tri-Chandra College, is now regarded as a milestone in Nepal’s art history. In a country still adjusting to its new openness, this one-week show of sixty-five paintings introduced viewers to a kind of work they had never seen before. Portraits of leading Nepali writers and intellectuals, landscapes, and the emotionally charged Muna-Madan series (inspired by Laxmi Prasad Devkota’s beloved epic poem) appeared alongside canvases that pushed toward abstraction, using bold color and expressive brushwork. Many viewers did not yet have a vocabulary for such painting, but they felt its force. Younger artists recall the shock of seeing Bangdel’s work: it was as if modern art had arrived in Kathmandu overnight.
This breakthrough did not arise in isolation. Before returning to Nepal, Bangdel had spent formative years in Kolkata, London, and Paris. In Kolkata he trained at what is now the Government College of Arts and Crafts, learning careful draftsmanship and absorbing a hybrid “Company style” that blended South Asian and European pictorial conventions. In London and Paris he encountered the works of Cézanne, Braque, Picasso, Modigliani, and others. At the École des Beaux-Arts, and in conversation with Indian and South Asian peers who were reimagining art for newly independent societies, he honed a language rooted in European modernism yet responsive to South Asian realities.
When he returned to Nepal in the early 1960s, he did not simply import a foreign modernism; he translated what he had learned into a visual idiom grounded in the Himalayas, in Nepali literature, and in the lived experiences of ordinary people. The 1962 exhibition marked the public beginning of that translation. But Bangdel also understood that one historic exhibition was not enough. Nepal needed institutions—spaces that could host regular exhibitions, foster critical dialogue, and connect artists and audiences to both local and international art.
It was this conviction that led him, together with like-minded cultural and governmental figures, to help establish the Nepal Art Council in 1963. From its inception, the Council was conceived as a bridge between Nepal and the wider world of art. Bangdel served as its Founding Secretary for nearly forty years—a role that demanded daily involvement and long-term vision. His aim was to share with Nepali artists the insights he had gained abroad and to create conditions in which future generations could experiment, learn, and grow.
The Council’s early years were modest but visionary. Initially housed in a ground-floor room in Babar Mahal, it lacked a permanent gallery of its own. Nevertheless, it quickly began organizing exhibitions off-site. In late 1963, it mounted a major show at the Saraswati Sadan complex featuring reproductions of masterpieces by Italian artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and Panini. At a time when international travel, art books, and color catalogues were rare in Nepal, these reproductions were revelatory.
The strategy was clear: to bring the world’s great artworks to Nepal through posters, prints, and photographic reproductions obtained from museums and embassies abroad. Long before the internet or even widespread television, these images became vital tools for learning. They allowed students, artists, and curious visitors to study Western art practices at close range, examining composition, light, and color in works from across centuries and continents. This quiet yet radical gesture helped lay the foundations for a contemporary art scene that saw itself as part of a global conversation—one that now, decades later, finds renewed resonance at an event like Art Basel Hong Kong.
Bangdel was equally involved in shaping the Council’s permanent gallery. Drawing on his visits to museums in Europe and the United States, he worked with architect and Council executive board member Narendra Pradhan to design a two-story building crowned with a small pagoda-like structure opening onto the terrace. Within the constraints of a limited budget, they envisioned a flexible, light-filled space that could host large paintings and accommodate changing exhibition needs. Pradhan later noted that while he drafted the architectural plans, it was Bangdel who defined the core concept: the use of high clerestory windows to manage natural light while keeping all internal walls available for hanging art.
The fully realized gallery officially opened in April 1991 with a landmark event: Bangdel’s own retrospective, inaugurated by Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai. The exhibition gathered some 250 paintings spanning fifty years—from student works to mature abstractions. Portraits, landscapes, figurative compositions, and abstract Himalayan vistas were shown side by side, allowing viewers to trace the evolution of an artist who moved fluently between styles while remaining grounded in a deep emotional connection to Nepal. For many younger artists, the exhibition was a revelation and confirmed that the Nepal Art Council had become a true home for modern and contemporary art.
Bangdel’s commitment to the Council did not waver, even during moments of political upheaval. During the 1990 People’s Movement (Jana Andolan), some artists protested his dual leadership roles—as Chancellor of the Royal Nepal Academy and Secretary of the Nepal Art Council—and called for his resignation, disrupting the Council’s activities and reflecting broader tensions in the country. Yet Bangdel stood firm, defended the institution’s mission, and continued its work. Over time, the controversy subsided, and the artists who had opposed him later apologized. He remained Secretary until his passing in 2002, marking four decades of service.
Parallel to his work at the Council, Bangdel played major roles in other cultural institutions. Appointed to the Royal Nepal Academy in 1961, he later served as its Vice Chancellor (1974) and Chancellor (1979–1989)—the first visual artist to hold that position. Under King Birendra’s patronage, the Nepal Association of Fine Art (NAFA) was formed within the Academy, leading to the creation of the Birendra Art Gallery, the first museum of contemporary Nepali art. Bangdel initially served as Treasurer and later as Chair of the gallery, further expanding the infrastructure for modern art in the country. In recognition of his service, he was appointed to the Raj Parishad (Royal Council) in 1998.
Equally significant were his contributions as a writer and cultural historian. Alarmed by the increasing theft and illicit export of sacred sculptures from the Kathmandu Valley, Bangdel dedicated decades to documentation and research. His books—Early Sculptures of Nepal, Inventory of Stone Sculptures of Kathmandu Valley, and Stolen Images of Nepal—compiled visual and textual records of Nepal’s sculptural heritage at a critical moment. By photographing objects in situ and tracking those that had disappeared, he provided vital evidence for scholars, curators, and legal efforts to repatriate stolen works. These publications remain foundational for anyone concerned with Nepal’s tangible heritage and the ethics of collecting Himalayan art.
Perhaps the most enduring aspect of Bangdel’s legacy, however, lies in the lives and practices of the artists he mentored. Through formal and informal teaching—whether in the Council galleries, in his Sanepa garden, or during outdoor painting sessions—he encouraged students to experiment with new techniques, media, and forms of abstraction. Many of these artists went on to form the Society of Modern Artists and other collectives, organizing exhibitions and awards that continue to keep his spirit of inquiry alive. They remember him not only as a master painter but as a gentle, generous guide who modeled how to be both an artist and a responsible cultural citizen.
Today, as his works enter the arena of Art Basel Hong Kong with TANSBAO Gallery, we can see more clearly how Bangdel’s story belongs within a larger South Asian and global narrative. He transformed the visual language of Nepal through his paintings, but he also transformed the very conditions in which art could be made, seen, and debated. The Nepal Art Council, the institutions he shaped, the books he wrote, and the artists he mentored all form part of an ecosystem that continues to nourish new generations .
For viewers encountering his work in Hong Kong, Bangdel’s paintings offer more than a window onto the Himalayas; they reveal how modern art in South Asia has long been entwined with questions of place, memory, and cultural responsibility. For those of us in Nepal, seeing his work at Art Basel is both a celebration and a reminder—that the vision of one artist, working from a small Himalayan capital, can resonate across borders and decades, and still speak powerfully to the global art world today.
About the Author
Swosti Rajbhandari Kayastha is a scholar of Nepali cultural heritage and an Executive Board Member of Patan Museum. She holds MAs in Nepalese History, Culture, and Archaeology from Tribhuvan University and in Museum and Gallery Practice from University College London. Currently Curator at the Nepal Art Council, she has organized and curated numerous exhibitions in Nepal and abroad, and serves as a consultant for museum concept development. She also teaches museum studies, Nepali art and culture, and iconography at various institutions. A Fulbright Visiting Scholar (2024–25) affiliated with the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, she researched Nepali diaspora artists in the Bay Area and beyond, culminating in exhibitions at the California Institute of Integral Studies, the Piedmont Center for the Arts, and the Aurora Public Library in Colorado. Her articles and research on Nepali art and culture have appeared in ICOM publications and other respected national and international outlets.