The society was established in the period immediately following the great upsurge of nationalism generated by the movement opposing partition of Bengal by British Raj. Officially, the society was born on 17^th April 1907. The momentous happening of the creation of the Indian Society of Oriental Art to promote and popularize Indian art was essentially initiated by E B Havell, the then principal of Government School of Art, Kolkata and the great Artist Abanindranath Tagore who was teaching in the same school.

Though a British, E B Havell had deep appreciation and understanding of Indian Art and he inspired Abanindranath Tagore to undertake responsibility of the newly formed Indian Society of Oriental Art. Main objective of the society were to promote Oriental art forms through organising exhibitions, discussions, seminars and also through publication of art journals. In 1919 the society was reorganized on a grander scale and imparting art lessons were started. The first two teachers were eminent artists Nandalal Bose and Khitindra Nath Majumdar – who operated under the overall supervision of Abanindranath Tagore and Gaganendranath Tagore.

In 1920, society brought out a quarterly art journal called ‘Rupam’ under the editorship of O C Gangly. The first Annual journal of society was published in 1933 under the editorship of Abanindranath Tagore and Stella Kramrisch.