Benu Mishra Archives

The art and legacy of Benu Mishra

Explore selected works, exhibitions and archival records documenting the life and practice of Assamese artist Benu Mishra (1939–2019). The archive will continue to develop as materials are catalogued and verified.

Explore the Works Read Biography
1939–2019
Artist from Assam
1957
Scholarship to Santiniketan
1976
Founding president, Gauhati Artists’ Guild
Placeholder for a rights-cleared artwork image or approved portrait of Benu Mishra
Benu Mishra 1939–2019 | Artist from Assam
Hero: one strong rights-cleared artwork image or approved portrait

About the archive

A growing digital record

Benu Mishra Archives is a growing digital record of the artist’s work and legacy. It brings together artworks, biographical information, exhibitions, publications and related documentation in one place. Each record is presented with the available details, with the aim of supporting discovery, research and a deeper understanding of Mishra’s contribution to modern art in Assam and Northeast India.

North Star

The artwork should lead visually; the archive record should lead informationally. Minimal presentation is only useful if the records are organized, searchable and maintainable.

Artworks

Show artworks in a clean, accessible gallery with individual artwork pages and consistent metadata.

Exhibitions & records

Record exhibitions, publications, press coverage, institutional collections and archival material where documentation exists.

Provenance & rights

Preserve provenance, source and image-rights information internally, even when some fields are not shown publicly.

1939–2019 | Artist from Assam

About Benu Mishra

The following is proposed copy based on available public reporting. Treat it as an editorial draft, not final authorised biography. The client/archive owner should approve it and resolve any discrepancies before launch.

Extended biography

Early life and education

Benu Mishra (27 November 1939 – 29 May 2019) was an artist from Assam whose work encompassed painting, sculpture and graphic design. He was born in Barpeta and moved to Guwahati with his family in 1946. After completing his schooling in Guwahati, he received a state government scholarship in 1957 to study at Santiniketan. He completed a four-year Diploma in Fine Arts and Crafts in 1961. [S4]

Career and public work

In 1962, Mishra joined Janasanyog, Assam, as an artist. He briefly worked as an art teacher in Bombay in 1963, and held his first solo exhibition in Kathmandu in 1964. In 1973, he joined the Government Art and Craft School. In 1976, he became the founding president of the Gauhati Artists’ Guild, a role he held until 1989. [S4]

Works, awards and recognition

Public accounts identify paintings including Death, The Chair, A Hot News, The Last Supper and Rain over the Brick Field among his recognised works; titles and spellings should be checked against original catalogues before they are used as formal artwork records. His awards included the Pranab Baruah Award in 2003 and the Bishnu Prasad Rabha Award in 2006. In 2010, a retrospective titled Benu Mishra: The Colourful Mosaic was held at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati. Mishra died in Guwahati in May 2019 at the age of 80. [S4][S6]

Legacy and retrospectives

A 2026 retrospective, Between Riverlight and Red Soil, was presented at Nandan Art Gallery, Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati. Reporting on the exhibition described a range of paintings, sculptures, graphic designs and archival material, and highlighted connections between Santiniketan and Assam in discussions of Mishra’s practice. The exhibition also brought attention to his Death Series, book-cover design and public sculpture. If the archive includes these interpretations, credit the exhibition/reporting or curator rather than presenting interpretation as uncontested fact. [S5]

2003

Pranab Baruah Award

2006

Bishnu Prasad Rabha Award

2015

Chatok Award

Archive / Timeline

Proposed biographical timeline

Chronology and themes that help visitors navigate available records. Each event carries its editorial status.

  1. 27 Nov 1939

    Born in Barpeta, Assam.

    Reported by The Sentinel; obtain client confirmation. [S4]

  2. 1946

    Family moved to Guwahati.

    Reported by The Sentinel. [S4]

  3. 1957

    Received a state government scholarship to study at Santiniketan.

    Reported by The Sentinel. [S4]

  4. 1961

    Completed a four-year Diploma in Fine Arts and Crafts.

    Reported by The Sentinel. [S4]

  5. 1962

    Joined Janasanyog, Assam, as an artist.

    Reported by The Sentinel. [S4]

  6. 1963

    Briefly worked as an art teacher at Sir Jacob Sassoon School, Bombay.

    Confirm institutional spelling/name before publication. [S4]

  7. 1964

    Held first solo exhibition in Kathmandu, Nepal.

    Reported by The Sentinel. [S4]

  8. 1973

    Joined the Government Art and Craft School.

    Reported by The Sentinel. [S4]

  9. 1976–1989

    Founding president of the Gauhati Artists’ Guild.

    Reported by The Sentinel; confirm exact tenure. [S4]

  10. 1989

    The Sentinel reports that Mishra completed Death in this year.

    Do not assign this year to the artwork until title/date are checked against a catalogue. [S4]

  11. 1993

    Held a solo exhibition in Guwahati.

    Reported by The Sentinel. [S4]

  12. 2003

    Received the Pranab Baruah Award.

    Reported by The Sentinel. [S4]

  13. 2006

    Received the Bishnu Prasad Rabha Award.

    Reported by The Sentinel. [S4]

  14. 2010

    Retrospective Benu Mishra: The Colourful Mosaic at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati.

    Catalogue/exhibition referenced in Tezpur University profile material. [S6]

  15. 2015

    Received the Chatok Award.

    Reported by The Sentinel; verify full official award name. [S7]

  16. 29 May 2019

    Died in Guwahati, aged 80.

    Reported by The Sentinel. [S4]

  17. March 2026

    Retrospective Between Riverlight and Red Soil at Nandan Art Gallery, Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati.

    Reported by NE NOW; confirm exact dates/catalogue from organiser. [S5]

Works

Explore the works

Explore available records of Benu Mishra’s works. Browse by work type, date, medium or series where those details have been documented. Each entry presents the information currently verified for that work; records may be updated as additional catalogues, photographs and archival sources become available.

Public reporting mentions Death, The Chair, A Hot News, The Last Supper and Rain over the Brick Field. These are starting points for asking the client for records, not a final authoritative checklist. Confirm title spelling, date, medium, dimensions and image rights before publishing. [S4]

Exhibitions

Exhibitions

This section documents exhibitions connected with Benu Mishra’s work, from solo presentations and retrospectives to other documented appearances. Each entry should include the title, date, venue, location, description and source where available.

2010

Benu Mishra: The Colourful Mosaic

Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati

Known information: Retrospective exhibition, Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati, 2010. [S6]

To obtain / verify: Exact opening/closing dates, official title typography, curator, organiser, catalogue scan, image rights and selected works.

2026

Between Riverlight and Red Soil: A Retrospective of Benu Misra

Nandan Art Gallery, Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati

Known information: Retrospective reported at Nandan Art Gallery, Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati in March 2026. [S5]

To obtain / verify: Exact exhibition dates, organiser/curator wording, catalogue details, installation photography permissions and complete checklist.

Exhibition record fields

  • Title
  • Start date
  • End date
  • Venue
  • City/region
  • Exhibition type
  • Organiser
  • Curator
  • Description
  • Catalogue/PDF
  • Installation images
  • Source references
  • Image credits and permissions

Publications

A reference list of publications and catalogues related to Benu Mishra’s art and career. Records may include exhibition catalogues, books, essays, articles and interviews. Bibliographic details should be transcribed from the publication itself whenever possible.

Known leads

  • Benu Misra: Portrait of a Painter, edited by Deepali Bhattacharya Barua (Guwahati: Bhabani, 2007), referenced in Tezpur University profile material.
  • Benu Mishra: The Colourful Mosaic, 2010 retrospective catalogue lead referenced in Tezpur University profile material.

Full bibliographic records, cover images and copyright permission remain to be obtained. [S6]

Press & Media

Selected journalism, interviews and media coverage that document Benu Mishra’s life, works and reception. Each entry should identify the publisher, title, author if available, publication date and a link to the original source. Use short excerpts only when permitted; link to the original article rather than republishing full copyrighted articles.

Collections

Initial research lead

The official Assam State Museum website lists Bodo Weavers by Benu Mishra among works in the museum’s Painting Gallery. This is a useful lead for an institutional collections record, but the archive owner should confirm the work’s current status, title spelling, date, medium, credit line and image permissions directly with the museum before publishing a formal record. [S8]

Galleries of Assam State Museum

Journal

Stories from the archive

Research notes, exhibition stories, archival discoveries and perspectives that add context to Benu Mishra’s life, work and legacy.

View all stories

Rights / Copyright statement

Rights and permissions

The images and records on this website are presented for research, documentation and educational purposes subject to the rights applicable to each item. Copyright and reproduction rights may belong to the artist’s estate, rights holders, photographers, institutions or other parties. Please contact the archive before reproducing any artwork image or archival material. Individual records may include specific credits or restrictions; these take precedence over this general statement.

This is draft wording only. The client/rights holder should approve it and obtain legal advice where required.

Non-negotiable

A public archive is not automatically permitted to republish every artwork image, photograph, catalogue scan or newspaper article. The client must confirm rights or permission for every asset intended for publication.

Contact / Research enquiries

Research and archive enquiries

Archive enquiries, research requests and image reproduction permissions. Not a sales form.

  • Research requests

    Enquiries about documented material held in the archive.

  • Image reproduction permissions

    Please contact the archive before reproducing any artwork image or archival material.

  • Rights

    The enquiry form must not suggest that all rights can be granted automatically.

    Submitting an enquiry does not grant reproduction rights.