The Most Prestigious Art Galleries in India
With millennia of rich tradition, strong ties to Europe and a rapidly changing economic situation, India has a unique art scene. The Modern Indian Art movement responds as much to its own ancient heritage, as to western conventions which, in the wake of independence, it could choose to either keep or reject.
In this piece, our Leisure Travel Manager, Klara Marxtova, takes you through India’s most respected galleries.
National Museum New Delhi
India’s National Museum collection was assembled in 1947 as the centerpiece of Indian historic, cultural and anthropological study. Today, it holds over 200,000 objects, attracting visitors from all over the world.
The collection is now based in India’s capital of New Delhi, and is home to some of the most important cultural artifacts in India’s history. Like any National Museum, art, artifact and archeological object are all on display here, with lines between the three blurred
Despite the Janpath building’s huge size, the institutions herculean mission of charting the anthropomorphic span of an entire subcontinent, means display space is at a premium, resulting in only the most prestigious objects make the grade.
The museum is currently exhibiting Cosmology to Cartography: A Cultural Journey of Indian Maps, featuring stunning illuminated maps. The exhibition, which runs from the 11th of August to the 11th of October, explores how maps reveal how cultures viewed the world and placed themselves within it.
Contact our Leisure Travel Manager, Klara, to arrange your journey to the cultural hub of New Delhi and check into one of India’s most exclusive hotels.
The Dag Modern
The Dag Modern takes 20th Century Indian art as its focus. The institute set out in 1993 determined to shine a new light on the forgotten art-makers working in India in the 1900s. Today, the Dag Modern is India’s premier modern art institute, with three locations: New Delhi, Mumbai and New York.
Allow us to arrange your travel to Mumbai for an Indian autumn and take in the Kingdom of Exile. This haunting retrospective exhibition of Rabin Mondal, an expressionist from 1920s Calcutta, runs from the 20th of July to the 12th of September. Mondal was reacting to the poverty and violence of the world around him and has intriguing influences from cubism to Bosch.
The Dag Modern also arranges regular auctions of works by the greats of India’s explosive modern art world. If you are interested in Indian art, keep an eye out for next auction and allow Klara to help arrange your itinerary.
Dhoomimal Gallery
Dhoomimal Gallery (DMG), established in 1936 by Sh. Ram Babu Jain is the oldest contemporary art gallery in India and is based right in the heart of New Delhi.
DMG is an institution of Indian art, displaying old pioneers of Indian contemporary art but has also played a pivotal role in bringing forth new ones. It has some big names like Maqbool Fida Husain and Jatin Das in their Masters department, as well as constantly promoting rising India talent such as Bharat Bhushan Singh and Hemant Rao.
DMG is focused around trading art, and is one of the best places in India to go to find prized work by contemporary Indian artists working around the world. They recently completed a showing of works by Krishen Khanna in celebration of his 90th birthday.
If you would like to experience India’s unique art scene, speak with Klara today by calling us on 0203 535 9290 or email us at info@simplexitytravel.com to find out how we can make your travel and stay truly special.