Although there are many art galleries crowding the city of Bangalore, one highly recommended as a must-visit is theVenkatappa Art Gallery. This brilliant art gallery is more than capable of satiating even the true art aficionados.
The art gallery, which is divided into two halls, has stone sculptures from the Mathura and Khajarao schools of art in one of the halls, while the other hall is dedicated to pottery and clay ” articles belonging to the Indus Valley civilizations. It also exhibits 20th century landscapes and the occasional contemporary art show.
Structurally spread over two floors, the gallery exhibits around 600 paintings, which are on display throughout the year.
The ground floor displays the works of K. Venkatappa, who was born in 1887 and belonged to a family of Court painters. His works include a panoramic view of the Ooty Lake, view from Church Hill -“ Ooty, Nilg ountains, Kodaikanal, Sunrise in Ooty, a painting on Monsoon and various other sketches.
On the first floor, the works of M.F. Hussain, Vasudev, Hanumaiah, Hariram, Rekha Rao, YusufArakkal and N.S. Bendre are displayed. Also, on the same floor is a section dedicated to C.
P. Rajaram’s exquisite wood carvings, while, the floor is also available for other artists to exhibit their work.
The second floor is solely dedicated to K.K Hebbar – the “Hebbar Section”. His paintings, based on the elements of nature, are titled Vayu, Jala, Prithivi and Agni and others such as Sea Shore, in Space, Nagamandala, Last Glimpse and Death are on display. It also includes numerous sketches labelled Japan, Bali village, Mother and so on.
A comprehensive art gallery, the Venkatappa Art Gallery, aIsd gives room to present contemporary artists to display their works.
Open on all days, except Monday, the Gallery, on Kasturba Road, lets in visitors from 10.00AM to 5.00 PM at a charge of Rs.10).