Delhi is one of the liveliest cities of India, if not of the world. It is a city which is full of heart (thus deriving the name ‘Delhi’). It has something to offer for everyone. There is something in its air which will make you fall in love with the city instantly.
Today, while the city has many problems which a metro city might have anyway, it has succeeded in itself preserved its culture and heritage without having to compromise on economic and infrastructural development.
Not just in terms of architecture, Delhi also has the famed National Gallery of Modern Art, which has paintings and artworks from some of the most renowned artists of India and the world.
Let us have a detailed look at the National Museum of Art, New Delhi–
About the National Gallery of Modern Art
The National Gallery of Modern Art Delhi, or better known as the NGMA is the topmost art gallery which has been established by the Ministry of Culture under the Government of India.
The NGMA Delhi has been running for quite a long time and boasts of the best paintings in the country. It has a collection of artwork which contains over 14100 artworks, including some by the best artists India has ever seen.
The artworks mostly include paintings, sculptures, and photographs by some of the best artists one can possibly think of. This art museum, which has so many artworks is also one of the world largest museums by area, having been spread over an area of 12000 square meters as exhibition space.
The gallery is a witness to the changing artistic values and the way art has been perceived by people over the years, with the museum having art pieces even from the field of Visual and Plastic arts.
Keeping all the trivial information and the facts aside, for now, it can easily be claimed that the National Gallery of Modern Art artworks is some of the most significant collections of modern and contemporary art in the whole country.
Calling it just a museum would not do justice to how important this place is in the context of the history of India and its cultural heritage. It is clearly much more than that, and one should not miss their chance to have a glance at the amazing insight the National Art Museum Delhi offers into our past.
History of National Art Museum Delhi
This premier art museum was established on 29th Match, 1954 at the Jaipur House in New Delhi by the government of India. The idea for such a gallery was first tabled in the year 1949.
Since then, this idea was taken seriously by the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Bureaucrats like Humayun Kabir along with the super-sensitive art community also had s big role to play in the establishment of this art gallery.
The museum was inaugurated by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, a coveted man in India’s freedom struggle and the nation’s Vice-president at that time. The museum is situated at Jaipur House, New Delhi.
This is the former house of the Maharana of Jaipur, this deriving the name Jaipur House. Prominent German art historian Hermann Goetz became the first curator of the National Gallery of Modern Art. With time, the museum saw the addition of other services such as Art restoration services, an art reference library and a documentation center for art pieces.
Slowly and steadily, the museum started becoming more prominent over time. After Goetz, many other noted art historians served as curators in the museum. In 2009, the museum witnessed the inauguration of a new wing, which had six times space when compared to the existing gallery.
There was also a new auditorium, a preview theatre, conservation laboratory, library and academic section as well as a cafeteria and museum shop.
Collections of NGMA Art Gallery
The NGMA art gallery has some of the best and the most contemporary collections of paintings, drawings, sketches and much more in the whole of India. There are over 17000 art pieces in this museum, each being of utmost importance from the point of view of art and history.
There are a lot of different sections to look at in the museum, and one must not miss the chance to visit this museum when they are in Delhi. Let us take a look at them-
- Painting– Paintings are the main attraction of every art gallery and museum, and when someone says that there is no better art gallery for paintings than the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, they are not wrong. This museum has some of the best paintings of all time, including artworks from Raja Ravi Verma, Rabindranath Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy among other known artists.
- Drawing– There are many drawings by known artists in this museum. You can also find paintings in the art gallery. Drawings are just dry paintings, meaning paintings without color.
- Sketches– All big artists start their art by making sketches. The museum has kept true to that essence and has displayed many sketches by various big artists in their art gallery.
You will find yourself in awe of the paintings and other art pieces. Their beauty is mesmerizing and to the contrary, even if you’re not an art enthusiast, you will thoroughly enjoy yourself at the NGMA.
NGMA Publications
The publications have been a very important part of the National Gallery of Modern Art New Delhi. These publications not only glorify the works of different artists but also serve as important resource materials to scholars, art enthusiasts, and students alike.
The NGMA has a lot many different kinds of publications which you can buy for yourself. If you are looking for paintings, there are small and big reproductions for you to buy, the small ones costing Rs. 30 apiece and the big ones costing between Rs. 50 to Rs. 100 each.
Then there are catalogs and monographs, which would interest you if you are deeply into art and paintings. Similarly, portfolios are also meant for those who are really into art, especially if they are passionate about a specific artist.
Even if you are not so much interested in art, there is something for you. You can buy for your friends or yourself Picture Posting Cards, Greeting Cards or different Souvenir items. There is even an interactive CD, which you can buy and later watch at home to understand the art displayed at the museum in a much better way.
NGMA Exhibitions
The main essence of every art gallery is its exhibitions which take place from time to time. The same goes for the National Museum of Modern Art. The museum is quite lively in terms of the exhibitions it holds.
From time to time, exhibitions of artworks of different artists are displayed in the museum. Sometimes, the NGMA exhibition is on a specific topic on which one can find different artworks on, such as an exhibition on tribalism. For an artist, it is a matter of much honor to have his artwork displayed in an exhibition in the National Museum of Modern Art.
Also, for the guests, having to look at different artworks on different topics can also be fun, even more, if the topic is of the NGMA Delhi exhibition interest to the person. Today, the museum has also started organizing virtual exhibitions, where all you need to do to look at an exhibition is to visit their official website.
Virtual Galleries
The main purpose of the establishment of the NGMA is the promotion of art in the whole of India. For that, the museum has worked tirelessly in every way to ensure that they possess the best possible artwork of the country.
Today, one can easily conclude that they have made humongous success on that front. The National Museum of Art New Delhi is perhaps one of the most famed museums in the whole world in terms of the collection of paintings they possess.
All their artworks, amounting to over a staggering 17000 in total are a witness in their own to the way the perception of art has changed in India over the course of time.
Every artwork tells its own story, one can just click Art Museum Delhi on the internet to know what this means in the context of NGMA. The National Gallery of Modern Art is definitely a place which is full of treasures only some can appreciate.
But it is also a fact that not everyone can visit the museum to enjoy and adorn the artistic beauty of the artworks that ornament the walls and galleries of the National Museum of Modern Art, Delhi.
That has made it important for the museum to spread their art in such a way that people can even enjoy it even without having to take a look at it in person. What better way to make that happen than Virtual Art galleries!
The NGMA Delhi has made their own virtual gallery which can be found on their website. On their virtual gallery, you can find a lot of artistic stuff to look at and praise, all while sitting at your home in front of your computer or mobile phone!
The virtual gallery of NGMA has various different sections such as Photography, Modern Sculptures, Miniature Painting and some sections of legendary artists such as Jamini Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, etc.
The virtual gallery of NGMA is a paradise for all those who cannot afford to visit the museum or those who live too far off to think of planning a visit. All you need to do is go to the website of NGMA and from there, you need to browse to the virtual gallery section.
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How to Reach National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi
One can reach the museum via different means of transport, but the best and the cheapest ones would be either a bus or metro, the metro being the better option.
National Gallery of Modern Art Address
The National Gallery of Modern Art Address can be easily found out using Google. It is located in a very central location in New Delhi.
NGMA Delhi address is Shershah Road Near India Gate Jaipur House, New Delhi, Delhi 110003.
National Gallery of Modern Art Nearest Metro Station and Bus Stop-
To know the nearest metro station to the National Gallery of Modern Art, one can just always use Google, but that might not be the best idea.
The National Gallery of Modern Art Delhi nearest metro station is the Khan Market metro station, which can be reached via the Violet Line metro.
The closest bus stop will be the one at Jaipur House, which is exactly at the location of the museum, so there will be no trouble in reaching it.
National Gallery of Modern Art Timings
The Modern Art Museum Delhi timings are from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. every day except on Monday or other holidays. It is open during all seasons of the year at the same time.
National Gallery of Modern Art Entry Fees
The fees for foreign nationals visiting the museum is Rs. 500 per head. For Indians visiting the museum, it is a mere Rs. 20, and for Indians below the age of 18, the entry is absolutely free! The entry costs are extremely low, which means that you should not miss visiting this museum for the world.
Conclusion
At last, the final words on the museum are only of praises and praises only. The museum, whose primary objectives have been the organization, preservation, and acquisition of art since its establishment has indeed done a great job in achieving its objectives.
For an art enthusiast, this museum can be a literal temple, as it houses some of the world’s most rare artworks, which are also historically important for India.
This place is full of knowledge, and one can better understand the history and the way art has been perceived by observing the difference in the artworks over a period of time.
Considering the extremely low entry fees and the location of the museum, it is definitely a place worth your time and energy.
Museum to See Near NGMA:
- National History Museum
- National Rail Museum
- Nehru Museum and Planetarium
- National Craft Museum
- National Science Center Museum
- Old Fort Archaeological Museum
- Metro Museum
- National Agricultural Science Museum