Credit: Special Arrangement
Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, located on Kumarakrupa Road, is set to reopen its museum on Monday. The museum has been closed since May 2024 for routine upkeep and renovations.
Located on the first and second floors of the art complex, the museum comprises 13 galleries. It will be open all days of the week for a nominal fee of Rs 10.
“There were some water seepage issues and cracks, which have been fixed now. We have also repainted the galleries and upgraded the lighting,” shares Vijayashree C S, the curator. During this period, the staff also carried out digital documentation of artworks that are part of the museum’s repository.
What to expect
Out of the 13 galleries, 11 will be open to the public from next week. The remaining two — dedicated to a collection of leather puppets, and works of Svetoslav Roerich — will open in the next three months. “We will display 63 of Svetoslav’s works. We also plan to dedicate a wall (at the gallery) to his wife, Devika Rani,” adds Vijayashree.
Other galleries are either dedicated to individual artists such as Srikanta Shastry Kukke, Nicholas Roerich, and Krishna Reddy or they display paintings, sculptures and mixed media works by a group of artists.
Three galleries feature the collection of art connoisseur and collector H K Kejriwal. They chronicle the emergence of Modern Indian art. One of these galleries has a wall dedicated to eminent artists from the Bengal School of Art such as Jamini Roy, Devi Prasad Roy Chowdhury, and Gaganendranath Tagore.
Two other galleries focus on traditional Mysore-style paintings dating back to the 19th century. Together, the galleries display about 109 works.
Most of the artworks are not accompanied by much information. “As and when we receive funding, we plan to add a third floor to the museum and use it for storage. This will allow us to display the artworks in a better manner across the two floors, along with more detailed information about each piece,” she says.
Currently, visitors can take the help of the museum guide appointed on each floor to learn more about the works on display. “We are open to volunteers and interns to assist us. We’d like to increase the number of docents on each floor,” she adds. The museum will soon introduce an audio guide feature.
With the reopening, the museum aims to become an interactive space for the public. Starting Monday, it will organise a monthly lecture series. The first lecture will be delivered by art critic and curator Johny M L. He will speak on the topic ‘A Museum of One’s Own: Creating, Discoursing, and Personalizing’. “In addition to the lectures, we plan to organise activities such as workshops, film screenings, and play readings,” shares Vijayashree.
Open all days, 10.30 am to 6.30 pm, at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Kumarakrupa Road. Contact 2226 1816.