National Gallery Of Modern Art

A repository for more than 17000 of the country's most significant modern and contemporary works of art, the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, is home to more than 17000 works. NGMA's primary goals are to collect and preserve modern art from 1850 onwards and present it to a global public. This will increase sensitivity to modern Indian art. In addition, the institution promotes various forms of contemporary Indian art. A new wing was inaugurated on January 19th 2009, which doubled the gallery's display space by more than six times. It was inaugurated on March 29th, 1954 by Vice-President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. A second functional branch of NGMA is located at the Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall in Mumbai and at the Manikyavelu Mansion on Palace Road in Bengaluru.

To broaden Indian art's horizons through collaborations and partnerships both on national and international platforms. In addition, it seeks to showcase Indian artists to a wider global audience. NGMA's first Director General took office in December 2016. The National Gallery of Modern Art is responsible for maintaining high standards and ensuring quality. The National Gallery of Modern Art's objectives and aims are not only defined by their aesthetic and educational purposes. However, efforts are being made to ensure that these purposes become implicit in its organization and pervade all its activities, as well. In addition to extending people's relationship with their daily lives and experiencing them as vital expressions of the human spirit, the National Gallery of Modern Art helps them look at modern art with more joy, understanding, and knowledge.

Timings : Mondays and National Holidays are closed to the public. Open Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 am to 6:30 pm. Open Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Entry Fees : Entry is free for students, and there is a nominal fee for adults of Indian nationality of 20 INR, and for foreign nationals of 500 INR.

Time Required : For the gallery, you will need 2 hours, and for the walkthroughs and detailed tour, you will require 3 hours.

Founded in 1949, the idea of a national art gallery began to germinate and bear fruit. Nehru's government, Maulana Azad's government, Humayun Kabir, and the active art community nurtured it carefully. NGMA's formal inauguration took place on March 29, 1954, in the presence of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and artists and art lovers from the city. Vice-president Dr S Radhakrishanan formally inaugurated the museum. As a symbol of the organization's high profile, Lutyens chose Jaipur House, one of the premier structures in Delhi. It was designed by Charles G Blomfield and his brother Francis B Blomfield as a residence for the Maharaja of Jaipur in 1936. Based on Sir Edwin Lutyens' concept of the Central Hexagon, it is shaped like a butterfly with a central dome. Together with Herbert Baker, Lutyens designed and built Delhi's first capital. A harmonious harmony of facades was conceptualised by the famous architect. This gave the buildings a distinctive character, along with those constructed for other princely potentates like Bikaner and Hyderabad. Jaipur House was situated around the India Gate circle.

• A.A. Almelkar's work : Ahmedabad, Gujarat is the birthplace of Abdulrahim Appabhai Almelkar (10th October 1920 - 12th December 1982). He attended Sir JJ School of Art in Mumbai and graduated in 1948. He was influenced by Bendre and Langhammer during his early days of learning. In 1948, he won the Governor’s Award at the Bombay Art Society exhibition. In 1954, he won the Bombay Art Society Gold Medal. The legend also won a series of prestigious awards such as the Art Society of India Award in 1955, the Lalit Kala Academy Award in 1956 and 1960, and approximately 20 gold medals and 24 silver medals were awarded to him for his incredible art, as well as 40 solo exhibitions in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Ceylon.
• Miniature Painting : There are the earliest surviving miniature paintings on palm leaves from the 10th century and on paper from the 14th century. They accompanied religious texts and mythological epic illustrations. The subject of miniature paintings expanded from portraits to court scenes to flora and fauna as the Mughals invaded India in the mid-16th century. A variety of poetry, ancient legends, religious mythology, love moods and changing seasons were depicted in the paintings of the Rajput (in Rajasthan) and Pahari (in the Punjab hills) courts. Through a rich and lyrical style, emphasis was placed on creating a mood and communicating bhava (emotion). It was common for artists to work together in karkhanas (workshops) on the same painting; some specialized in composition, drawing, or colour; Mughal, Rajasthani, Pahari, and Deccani courts are the best known for their miniature paintings.
• Tanjore and Mysore Tradition : Art historian Barbara Rossi places the Tanjore and Mysore traditions of painting midway between classical and popular traditions, despite the fact that they are extremely popular in South India. Both styles are richly articulated and deal mostly with sacred icons created for devotional purposes. Mysore paintings are subtle and painted on paper, whereas Tanjore paintings are stretched over wood. A major highlight is the theatrical framing of the iconic paintings, which are painted in relief. These paintings are made of lime stone paste and embellished with gold leaf as well as jewels embedded in the gold leaf.
• Rabindranath Tagore : The versatile genius Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was born into an affluent Bengali family, winner of the Nobel Prize (1913) for literature. Throughout his lifetime, he developed a keen eye for literature, poetry, dance, and music, as well as a strong awareness of global cultural trends. His journey into the world of painting began in his late sixties as an extension of his poetic consciousness. Despite having little formal training in art, Tagore developed a highly imaginative visual vocabulary, enriched by a solid grasp of modern western, primitive, and child art practices.
• Modern Sculptures : As Indian sculpture evolved, it adopted western academic art traditions during the early 20th century, which led to the rise of modernism. Sculptors trained in academic realist style at British art schools focused on secular subjects, a departure from ancient and medieval Indian norms dominated by myths and deities. This period is marked by the intense and exaggerated realism of Indian sculptors as they cater to the needs of the newly emerging upper and middle classes.
• Abstraction in Contemporary Indian Art : Artists in India's 50s and 60s were more concerned with the purity of line, color and form than with the logical development of art vocabulary. Despite his introspective nature, Vasudeo S Gaitonde found satisfaction in interacting with colour and texture, unencumbered by content or narrative, on his canvas surface. Jeram Patel and the late Nasreen Mohamedi also approached pictorial space as if it were a philosophical engagement. Zen-like approach informs his canvases. While Patel's statement is assertive and rich in tone, Nasreen Mohamedi's drawings reveal an austere aesthetic that does not allow excess.

• The article mentions walkthrough times, so try to visit during those times.
• Inside the gallery, flash photography is strictly prohibited, unlike other museums and galleries that sometimes permit low flash.
• Any photography by professional photographers or publishers requires a separate payment of 1000 INR
• Due to the gallery authority's strict policy, it is not recommended to bring food or plastic inside.
• One must actually keep their valuables in the lockers provided there.

It would take about 30 minutes by cab to reach the gallery from Indira Gandhi International Airport, which is about 20 kilometers away. You can also board a bus to get there. Because Delhi is well-connected, one shouldn't experience any problems with commuting and the closest metro station is Central Secretariat. You can reach the gallery by cab in 11 minutes from the airport if you are traveling by train. The train station is 4.5 kilometers from the gallery.