Temple for art

It's ancient. It's priceless. It's sacred. The 90-year-old colonial style Manikyavelu Mansion in pristine white, nestling amidst tranquillity and green landscaped gardens dotted with fountains, on Palace Road is the chosen one for art lovers. After scouting around for over 20 years for an ideal edifice to house the national treasure of Indian art works across the centuries, this legacy of the Mysore royal family stole a march over the Balabrooie Guesthouse and the Carlton House to take shape as the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Bangalore, in 2001.
There's a hush all around when one steps in.Till it gives way to awe at the priceless artworks on display. Original works of K K Hebbar, A K Ramanujan, Raja Ravi Varma, Rabindranath Tagore, Amrita Sher-Gil and the pantheon of Indian artists bring the corridors in the Gallery alive with their brush strokes.
The growth of Indian art as it evolved across the pre- and post-Independence eras is depicted in the rows of oils and watercolours. All ancient schools of Indian art as well as contemporary styles find pride of place in these hallowed halls. The miniatures of the Jaipur School and the bold lines of the Baroda School, to the Tanjore, Bengal style, the earliest encounters of the artists with Western influences, and contemporary Tantrik art are seen in the sketches, paintings and sculptures elegantly displayed in two separate buildings. The heritage building spread across 1551 square metres has artistic marvels of the pre-Independence era while the new annexe is vibrant with splashes of colours and bold lines of the contemporary artists.
The NGMA is a dream come true for doyens of art S G Vasudev and Yusuf Arakkal who along with seven others from the art fraternity rallied for a National Gallery for the city over the years. "It feels wonderful to have such a beautiful centre for art in Bangalore after so much effort. And, most importantly, it is well curated by the director Rajeev Lochan and his team," says S G Vasudev. Yusuf Arakkal too is nostalgic over the battle for the gallery in Bangalore. "We almost lost the race," he says. "For us artists, there is a certain pride in having our works displayed in the National Gallery," he adds.
Echoing his sentiments Rajeev Lochan, director of NGMA Delhi says, "NGMA Bangalore functions as an institution of national importance keeping in mind the regional interests. Attempts are being made to organise programmes and exhibition under the cultural exchange programmes with different countries, travelling shows, specially curated exhibitions to showcase regional relevance as well. Once the auditorium and the museum is fully functional, apart from exhibitions, we plan to organise various extra-mural activities like lectures, seminars, workshops, film shows, performances, art sketch club and art appreciation and other related functions."
Also, technology has come to the rescue of art preservation at the NGMA. Thermo-hydrometers are being installed in each room to regulate the humidity and temperature. These instruments record the readings periodically 24/7 and the 23 degree Celsius temperature and 55 percent humidity level is maintained to preserve the paintings.
"It will be appropriate to host more international and national art exhibitions, and also have more displays by South Indian artists considering it is a regional centre," suggests S G Vasudev.
Workshops by artists and art appreciation courses are on the cards for more public interaction. With so much action taking place at this quiet spot, the NGMA Bangalore will be an icon of greater expression and appreciation of history and culture in the years to come. ��� TNN