Preservation and partnerships: Renovated Venkatappa Art Gallery presents contemporary face to Indian art
In this photo essay, we showcase a range of artworks on display at Venkatappa Art Gallery in Bengaluru.
Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 930 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.
Located next to Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park and Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum on Kasturba Road, Venkatappa Art Gallery (VAG) hosts the works of legendary painter, sculptor and veena player Kumarappa Venkatappa. It also features works of other artists such as KK Hebbar and CP Rajaram, and organises group exhibitions (see our coverage of earlier exhibitions at VAG here).
VAG first opened in 1967, and has undergone a comprehensive revamp under the Brigade Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit arm of the Brigade Group, and also established the Indian Music Experience (IME) Museum in JP Nagar (see our photo essays on IME here).
At VAG, visitors can explore over 50 artworks and 200 personal objects of Venkatappa, 60 artworks of KK Hebbar, and 20 sculptures by CP Rajaram. There is also a sculpture garden and lotus pond surrounding the gallery.
Venkatappa (1886-1965) studied under Abanindranath Tagore, founder of the influential Bengal school of art, which played a key role in the development of modern Indian painting. Venkatappa is seen as a bridge between traditional Indian art and early modernism.
He is also regarded as a key figure in Karnataka’s cultural identity. His works include watercolour landscapes of Nandi Hills, motifs inspired by Mysuru court traditions, busts of notable figures such as Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, and even stage décor for cultural events.
Kattingeri Krishna Hebbar created a number of paintings, sketches and works inspired by rural settings. A recipient of major honours including the Padma Bhushan, his distinctive visual language is marked by clean, rhythmic lines inspired by classical Indian dance.
His early works depict scenes from coastal Karnataka. As a trained classical dancer, he also produced dynamic sketches of dancers and musicians. His later works reflected empathy for communities displaced by natural calamities such as the tsunami.
CP Rajaram was a military engineer and wood carver. He imbibed sculptural aesthetics from a trip to Japan, and his works have been exhibited in India and the UK. His works evoke a connection with natural form and organic material.
Rajaram’s sculptures and carvings focus on ordinary life, labour and human conditions, rather than heroic or religious motifs. They reflect aesthetics and humanity even in everyday situations featuring ordinary people.
The sculptor effectively used wood to make the mundane come alive. His works thus underscore the value of craft-based art in India’s modern cultural heritage.
Renovation of VAG began in 2024, and was completed earlier this year. Partners of the renovation project include Asian Paints, Nippon Paint India, Featherlite, Johnson Lifts, Kohler India, Pyramid Timber, and Ramco Cements.
The renovated gallery was opened to the gallery on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. It now includes a bookstore and merchandise shop with art literature, mugs, T-shirts, and tote bags.
In addition to offering a wealth of artworks, the renovated museum is a good example of the power of of public-private partnership for heritage conservation. Cultural preservation can thus be effectively combined with modern aesthetics and amenities.
Now what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and harness your creative side for a better world?
(All photographs taken by Madanmohan Rao on location at VAG.)