The Unsung Giants

Riten Mozumdar

1927-2006

“Unlike many modernist Indian designers who emerged from the National Institute of Design with a more Western-focused approach, Mozumdar studied at Santiniketan as an artist and approached modernism from a more indigenous angle. Working with Kashmiri felt-rug makers and Gujarati tie-and-dye artisans and drawing inspiration from both traditional Mughal calligraphy and Bengali script, he developed a modernist design language that felt fresh and new but was still deeply rooted in Indian traditional craft. For me, Mozumdar’s work resonates because it synthesizes traditional Indian motifs and patterns with Western minimalist and abstract art.” —Puru Das, DeMuro Das

FOLLOWING INDIA’S independence from the British Empire in 1947, artisans moved to revive the subcontinent’s ancient handicrafts. One of the most notable was Riten Mozumdar, whose work significantly shaped the country’s post-colonial modernist designs. An apprentice of pioneering artist Benode Behari Mukherjee, Mozumdar has a multifaceted résumé, ranging from furniture and artwork to fashion and sculpture. He gleaned inspiration from India’s rich history—at one point traveling throughout the country to learn more about fabric-dyeing techniques—as well as abroad, in places such as Finland, where he worked in textile manufacturing and absorbed some of the no-frills elements of Scandinavian design. His works are minimalist but often feature bright, bold colors, as seen in his graphic linens for Fabindia and his Kashmiri rugs, awash in fluid calligraphy. Mozumdar designed pavilions and exhibitions in India and showed his work around