23 December,2010 09:54 AM IST | | Melissa D'costa
A collection of photographs taken by the german-born photographer Emil Otto Hoppe are on display at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore
Step back to a time when Mumbai was called Bombay or catch a rare glimpse of Rabindranath Tagore in Santiniketan. You don't need a time machine to take you there as EO Hoppe's photographs give you the rare opportunity to do so through a collection of 69 photographs.
Victoria Terminus, Bombay 1929, by Emil Otto Hopp ufffd
Hoppe's photographs of Bombay in 1929 capture the physical ambience of the bustling metropolis, while his lens records the spirit of Santiniketan and expresses the centrality of the larger-than-life persona of Tagore.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of the renowned poet with this dual exhibition titled Hoppe's Bombay 1929 and Santiniketan.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Director, CSMVS says, "These photographs beautifully document Santiniketan and Bombay during the times of Rabindranath Tagore. These also speak a lot of the photographer Hoppe and betray an anti-colonial view and his empathy for Indian people and their movement towards independence.
The uniqueness of these photographs lies in the fact that these document the transition of India from an agrarian to an industrial nation. It is a matter of pride for the Museum that we are the first venue in India for the exhibition."
Thereafter 'Hoppe's Santiniketan' will travel to Tagore's city, Kolkata, where it will be displayed at the Victoria Memorial Hall from April 16 to May 30, and from there the exhibition will travel to New Orleans.
Who was Emil Otto Hoppe?
Emil Otto Hoppe (1878 - 1972) was an eminent photographer of his time. He is known to have photographed famous personalities including Thomas Hardy, George Bernard Shaw, TS Eliot, Albert Einstein as well as Rabindranath Tagore in 1920. Born in Munich, Hoppeu00a0 started out as a banker by profession.
At Premchand Roychand Gallery, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, MG Road.
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