Drawing on archival sources, this book provides an anthropological exploration of the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore, tracing its evolution from the Mayo School of Arts established in 1875. As a counterpart to London’s South Kensington School of Design (now the Royal College of Art), the Mayo School emerged as a crucial site for the dissemination of colonial art education in British India, alongside similar institutions in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras. Named to honor Lord Earl of Mayo, the only Viceroy of India assassinated in office, it was founded by Lockwood Kipling and featured a distinguished roster of educators including Ram Singh, Percy Brown, Lionel Heath, S.N. Gupta, B.C. Sanyal, and A.R. Chughtai. The Mayo School also initiated the Journal of Indian Art and Industry, a seminal publication utilizing cutting-edge chromolithography techniques.

The book employs theoretical analysis to understand how the NCA, functioning as a bureaucratic entity, has shaped the landscape of design education, museums, and artistic practices in both colonial and postcolonial contexts. From its roots in British art education, derived from South Kensington, the institution's trajectory reflects its adaptation through American reforms in the early years of Pakistani independence. This analysis critically examines how frameworks of art history and anthropology have been mobilized to construct and objectify Pakistani art and artists.

Furthermore, the book explores the contributions of colonial anthropologists such as Richard Temple, Denzil Ibbetson, and Baden Powell, who were instrumental in the establishment and administration of the Mayo School. Their work in ethnographic reconstruction provided a cultural framework that influenced the education of artisan castes, situating them within a “primitive” Punjabi context. This colonial subtext profoundly impacted the pedagogical approaches of the Mayo School, which also nurtured the emergence of the Indo-Saracenic architectural style and supported traditional Punjabi painting.

Despite its industrial art orientation, the Mayo School was pivotal in the development of a modern Punjab painting tradition recognized at the British Indian Empire Exhibition of 1924. Under the guidance of Lionel Heath, the school began to embrace modern art, with printmaking, graphic design, and sculpture taking root in the 1930s through the efforts of B.C. Sanyal and M.M. Hussain. The Mayo School’s printing press produced a diverse array of materials, reflecting major Western art movements from Arts and Crafts to Art Deco and Bauhaus.

In the formative years of Pakistan, the Mayo School transitioned into the National College of Arts in 1958, modeled after the Bauhaus with departments in Fine Art, Design, and Architecture. Influential figures such as poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, painter Shakir Ali, art patron Ghulam Mueenuddin, and American sculptor Mark Sponenburgh were pivotal in shaping the NCA as Pakistan’s premier institution for art and design. Through a critical examination of art history and anthropological frameworks, this book elucidates how imperial and nationalist discourses have intersected to shape and redefine artistic and cultural identities within Pakistan.

Nadeem Omar Tarar was a Professor of Communication and Cultural Studies at the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore. Currently, he is affiliated with the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin, USA, on the print culture of South Asia.

Anthem Studies in South Asian Literature, Aesthetics and Culture

Introduction; Chapter One; CRAFTING ARTISANS AS PRIMITIVE ARTISTS: ART AND CRAFT DISCOURSES IN COLONIAL PUNJAB; I. Primitivisation of Indian Art and Artist; II. ‘Primitive Art in Civilized Places’: the Formation of the Pedagogic Triad of Trade   Exhibitions, Museums and Art Schools in Colonial Punjab; III. Lahore Museum: A Storehouse of Natural History and Primitive Art; IV. “Aboriginal” Artisans and the Colonial Ethnography of Occupational Castes; Chapter Two; KIPLING'S SCHOOL: BRITISH ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT IN PUNJAB; I. Technical Education in Colonial Punjab and the Making of the Mayo School of Art; II. The Lahore Model: the Mayo School under Lockwood Kipling; III. The Suitable Boys: the Mayo School of Art and Ibbetson’s Anthropology; IV. From “Primitive” Artisans to “Modern” Craftsmen-Artists; Chapter Three; POLITICS OF ART AND CRAFT: RETHINKING THE MAYO SCHOOL; I. Drawing Masters as Artists: The Emergence of Fine Arts in Punjab; II. Posters from the Early Twentieth Century Colonial Punjab: Chromolithography and Mayo School of Art; Chapter Four; AESTHETICS MODERNISM IN THE POST-COLONY: THE MAKING OF A NATIONAL COLLEGE OF ART; I. From Craft to Fine Arts: The Nationalist Discourse on Traditional Arts; II. The Development of Industrial and Technical Education in Pakistan as a  Panacea for Modernization; III. From Mayo School of Art to National College of Arts: The Forward Looking Years; IV. Post-Bauhaus at NCA: An Aborted Agenda; Chapter Five; FRAMINGS OF A NATIONAL TRADITION: DISCOURSES ON MODERN MASTERS AND THE INVENTION OF MINIATURE PAINTING IN PAKISTAN; I. Neo-Orientalist Discourse of Revivalisms: Tagore and Chughtai; II. Haji Sharif: Encounter with Tradition and Modernity; III. Discourse on Old Masters and the Myth of Tradition in Miniature Painting; IV. Miniature Painting as Kitsch: Shazia Sikander’s Innovation; V. 'The Original as Copy': Creative Process in Indian Painting; Conclusions; Appendix; Bibliography