All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society

The All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, commonly known as AIFACS, is an Indian arts organisation established in Delhi in 1928. Its work has centred on the presentation, promotion and recognition of fine arts and crafts in India. Rather than functioning as a commercial consumer brand, AIFACS operates as a cultural institution whose principal public activities have included exhibitions, awards, an exhibition venue and the circulation of information about Indian art. AIFACS was founded during the late colonial period, when organised art societies played an important role in creating exhibition opportunities and professional networks for artists in India. The society became associated with major figures in twentieth-century Indian art. Artists exhibited during the 1940s included Amrita Sher-Gil, Sailoz Mookherjea and Manishi Dey, alongside many other artists presented over the organisation’s long history. These exhibitions helped establish a public platform for modern and contemporary Indian artistic practice at a time when dedicated national cultural institutions were still developing. Following Indian independence, some functions historically associated with AIFACS were transferred or reorganised through three national academies: Lalit Kala Akademi for visual arts, Sangeet Natak Akademi for theatre and performing arts, and Sahitya Akademi for literature. This institutional change reduced the society’s role in areas that later came under national academy structures, but did not eliminate its identity as an independent arts organisation. AIFACS continued to be associated with exhibitions, artist awards and the maintenance of an arts venue in Delhi. The AIFACS Hall on Rafi Marg is one of the organisation’s best-known physical assets. The hall was contracted by Sir Sobha Singh and has served as an exhibition location. Its presence reflects the society’s historic role in providing space for public art presentation in the capital. AIFACS has also published a newsletter several times a year. Older issues have been made available through the society’s website since 2010, creating an archival record of its activities and communications. The society’s awards are among its most distinctive institutional offerings. The Kala Shree, Kala Vibhushan and Kala Ratna awards were inaugurated in 1988, with twelve awards in each grade presented every three years according to the referenced account. The highest distinction is the Kala Samrat. Through these awards, AIFACS has sought to honour artists at different levels of recognition and to maintain a national-facing cultural profile. AIFACS is therefore best understood as an independent Indian visual-arts and cultural organisation rather than a conventional product brand. Its public identity rests on continuity, exhibition-making, artist recognition, preservation of institutional memory and support for the visibility of Indian fine arts and crafts. Publicly available reference material does not establish a complete account of its current governance, finances, staffing or present programme schedule.

The All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society was founded in Delhi in 1928, during a period when Indian artists and cultural institutions were developing new platforms for exhibiting and discussing art. Its early role was to provide an organised setting for fine-arts and crafts activity, including exhibitions that could bring artists and the public together. In the 1940s, the society exhibited prominent artists such as Amrita Sher-Gil, Sailoz Mookherjea and Manishi Dey. Their association with AIFACS illustrates the organisation’s importance as an exhibition platform during the formative decades of modern Indian art. The political and institutional environment changed after India became independent. During the decade following independence, several functions that had previously been carried out by organisations such as AIFACS were transferred to or developed within three national academies. Lalit Kala Akademi assumed a national role in visual arts, Sangeet Natak Akademi in theatre and performing arts, and Sahitya Akademi in literature. This redistribution of responsibilities altered the cultural landscape in which AIFACS operated. The society nevertheless remained an independent arts organisation and continued to be associated with exhibitions, awards and public arts activity. AIFACS’s Delhi premises include the AIFACS Hall on Rafi Marg. The hall was contracted by Sir Sobha Singh and became an identifiable venue for art exhibitions. The organisation’s venue-based activity has been part of its broader contribution to the public presentation of Indian art, particularly in the capital, where galleries, academies and cultural societies have historically formed an interconnected institutional network. Recognition of artists became another important part of the society’s work. Its major award structure includes the Kala Shree, Kala Vibhushan and Kala Ratna awards, inaugurated in 1988. The referenced account states that twelve awards in each of these grades are given every three years. The top distinction is the Kala Samrat. The awards provide a formal mechanism through which AIFACS can acknowledge artistic achievement and maintain a national profile beyond individual exhibitions. The society has also communicated through a newsletter published several times a year. Older issues have been placed on the organisation’s website since 2010, preserving material about its activities and making part of its history accessible to researchers and the public. Available references do not provide a complete chronological record of all exhibitions, officeholders, award recipients or administrative changes. They also do not establish detailed information about the society’s current programme, governance or financial position. Accordingly, the documented history is strongest on its founding, historic exhibitions, post-independence institutional context, Delhi venue, awards and newsletter archive.

• 2010

  Newsletter archive published online

  [3]All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society official websiteaifacs.org.in

  Older editions of the society’s newsletter were posted on its website, providing public access to archival organisational material.

• 2002

  Platinum-jubilee coverage

  [2]Platinum jubilee of a golden erathehindu.com

  The Hindu published a feature concerning AIFACS’s platinum-jubilee period and its historical role in Indian art.

• 1988

  Major award grades inaugurated

  [1]All India Fine Arts and Crafts Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Kala Shree, Kala Vibhushan and Kala Ratna awards were inaugurated. The Kala Samrat is identified as the society’s highest award.

• 1950

  Functions overlap with national academies

  [1]All India Fine Arts and Crafts Societyen.wikipedia.org

  In the decade after Indian independence, a number of cultural functions associated with the society were transferred to Lalit Kala Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sahitya Akademi.

• 1940

  Prominent artists exhibited

  [1]All India Fine Arts and Crafts Societyen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1940s, AIFACS exhibitions included artists such as Amrita Sher-Gil, Sailoz Mookherjea and Manishi Dey.

• 1928

  Society founded in Delhi

  [1]All India Fine Arts and Crafts Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society was established in Delhi as an independent organisation for the promotion and presentation of fine arts and crafts in India.

An independent, nationally oriented Indian arts organisation focused on exhibitions, artist recognition, cultural documentation and the presentation of fine arts and crafts.

• Cultural programming · 1928

  Art exhibitions

  AIFACS organises and hosts exhibitions intended to present Indian fine arts and crafts to the public. Its historical exhibition record includes prominent twentieth-century artists, and the AIFACS Hall on Rafi Marg has served as an important Delhi venue.

• Artist recognition · 1988

  AIFACS awards

  The society’s recognition programme includes the Kala Shree, Kala Vibhushan and Kala Ratna grades, as well as the higher Kala Samrat distinction. The three named grades were inaugurated in 1988 and are described as being awarded on a three-year cycle.

• Arts publishing

  AIFACS newsletter

  AIFACS has published a newsletter several times a year. Older editions have been made available online, giving researchers and members of the public access to a portion of the society’s historical communications.

1. 1All India Fine Arts and Crafts Societyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Platinum jubilee of a golden erathehindu.com
3. 3All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society official websiteaifacs.org.in