Karmarkar Museum

A bungalow turned museum; the Karmarkar Museum is a small museum in the Alibaug district of Maharashtra where the work of Padma Shree VP Karmarkar is displayed. A paradise for art lovers and art enthusiasts, this museum displays sculptures of various sizes, shapes, and structures that look so lifelike, you are bound to get awed by the artistry and the craftmanship of the artist.

About the Museum

Housing more than 150 intricately carved sculptures, the Karmarkar Museum in Alibaug is a small museum displaying the artwork of Padma Shree VP Karmarkar. Located in Alibaug district 18km away in Bodani, the museum showcases statues of various sizes, shapes, weights, and structures. The museum is the ancestral house of VP Karmarkar aka Nanasaheb Karmarkar, where he lived and learned the art of sculpting from his father. He started making sculptures at a very young age as the family earning came from selling sculptures of deities mainly Lord Ganesh. Vinayak was also passionate about this art form but he did not keep himself limited to making sculptures of deities and soon started trying sculpting real-life people and other mythological characters.

His impression work drew the attention of the then British collector of the district and he made arrangements for Vinayak to study in J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai. After completing his studies, he worked with Rabindranath Tagore and Surendranath Tagore for some time, and then the TATA Company sent him to the Royal Academy of Arts in England for further studies. He outshone there as well and earned the respected Lord Meyo Award.

He has a vast range of collections of sculptures he made throughout his lifetime some of which include sculptures of Gopalkrishna Gokhale, Acharya Kriplani, Matsyagandha, Shankhadhwani, Moru, Hira Kolin, and much more. One of the most famous works is a 13.5 feet high sculpture he made of Maharaja Chhatrapati Shivaji riding a horse. This statue is now placed at the Military Preparatory School in Pune. Some of the sculptures like ‘Shepherd Boy’, ‘Mother & Child’, etc., look so real that you will get astounded by the workmanship. Nanasaheb Karmark was bestowed the Padma Shree in 1962 for his outstanding work and contribution and the Lalit Kala Academy honored him with the title ‘Fellow’ in 1964. Today, all his work can be witnessed in his bungalow which is now turned into a museum and the sculptures date back to the 1920s. The museum is a great experience for art students and all the art aficionados which is like a treat you cannot get anywhere else.