Career
He was one of the leaders in the development of contemporary art in Nepal in the early 20th century. Chitrakar spearheaded the trend of creating art using new techniques for its aesthetic value, and introduced a new style in the milieu of traditional art which is essentially religious and follows descriptions laid down in ancient texts. Tej Bahadur was born in Lalitpur to a family of hereditary artists, the Chitrakar caste of Newar community.
He came to the attention of Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, the fifth Rana Prime Minister of Nepal and hired Tej Bahadur as a court painter.
From 1918 to 1921, Chitrakar studied art at the Government School of Art, Kolkata. He was among the first two officially recognized art teachers in Nepal.
The other was Master in Surgery Maskey. He also began teaching art at Durbar High School and later became head of Juddha Art School.
