Treasure trove at National Gallery of Modern Art

The national gallery is an institution that preserves and restores Indian modern art from the past one and a half centuries. Located at the Jaipur House, this museum consists of over 14,000 art works.

Built in 1954, it is maintained by the Union Ministry of Culture. The gallery is also recognised to have a vast range of miniature paintings of different backgrounds such as Mughal, Rajasthani, Pahari, Deccan, among others. These are finely wrought portraits executed on cards, ivory, or copper. Apart from the miniature paintings, the national gallery of modern Art also provides paintings of European and East India company era.

It replicates the lives of people in India and landscapes by the western artists. An exhibition of around 90 paintings and drawings dated from 1790 till 1927 are available. It shows an interesting mix of water and colours that were made by British artists during the colonial period. It also has a section dedicated for the art work of Mysore and Bengal.

The gallery is also known to organise seminars, lectures and conferences. Its renovation in 2009 led to a lot of development within the premises, which now include a new auditorium, a theatre, academic session, shop and a cafeteria.

Here are a few things that visitors can explore at the museum:

1.  Sculptures:  Sculptures at the modern art gallery are one of the key antiques. Here, visitors would find sculptures made up of almost all sorts of materials such as wood, tin and stones that are carved quite artistically.

2.  Renowned artists: Artists such as MF Hussain, Rabindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, Nandlal Bose, Raja Ravi Varma are a few to name. In addition to the paintings, a lot of trivia about the artists, as well as, the paintings are also provided.

3.  Art Shop: Visitors are allowed to purchase sculptures, paintings or other art forms that are present inside the art shop.

4.  Café: Inside the gallery is a café where visitors can enjoy food and coffee, while admiring art and paintings that are present inside the gallery.

Clicking photographs and touching paintings or sculptures are prohibited. However, professional photographers can click photographs by paying Rs 1,000 per picture. Entry fee: Rs 20 for Indian citizens, Rs 500 for foreigners. The nearest metro station is Central Secretariat station present on the yellow and violet line.

Timings: 11 am till 6 pm. Closed on Monday.