Arthouse rock!

It has been more than five decades since the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) was founded, and in this timespan this wonderful institution has brought enough joy to its visitors from across the world by commemorating and communicating the art and culture of India. Managed by the ministry of culture, the NGMA has been distinctly portraying the many facets of individual painters. The sensitive arrangement of its collections reflect the transitions that have taken place in the field of art over the years.

To understand such expressions, TSI visited NGMA in the Capital on a weekend and was greeted by a calm yet buoyant serenity in stark contrast to the air of general gloom that pervades most other Indian museums. Soon, beyond the lush green lawn surrounding the 8.5 acres of NGMA, and past the smiling guards, we discovered more of NGMA’s efforts to promote art.

Inspiration may have been drawn from various quarters, like the Philadelphia Museum of Art which hands out mini-brochures containing artists' introduction and the context of the paintings to engage viewers into seeing the convergence of art and life. The art is in fact substantiated with themes and stories. For instance, when you enter the hall where Peter Paul Rubens's exotic paintings are framed, you are greeted with tales of Greek mythology and characters that help connect to Rubens’s work who exclusively painted Greek mythological characters. The journey through the museum is like a celebration of 2000 years of exceptional creativity in painting, sculpture and paper, and the credit goes to the museum's management. A similar wholesomeness has been achieved by NGMA through its enormous collection of paintings (comprising more than 14,000 works) and sculptures by various artists, apart from folks who can enlighten you on all aspects.

Leading this group of people in NGMA is professor Rajeev Lochan, director of the National Gallery of Modern Art who is all too enthusiastic to chat up with the visitors. This globetrotter also manages time to organise sessions (he hates to call them ‘seminars’) to inculcate an interest for arts in GenNext.

During our visit, prof. Lochan was addressing a group of Italian students on the works of Abanindranath Tagore, and then took them on a guided tour of the place. They looked particularly happy to learn of dominant Italian influence on the enigmatic Amrita Sher-Gil. “The aim is to create interest amongst our visitors towards Indian art, so depending upon the profile of the visitors I have to change my sessions,” reasons Lochan.

Customised sessions and genuine ‘customer care’ is almost an NGMA USP now. The legacy traces itself to art historian Hermann Goetz, of German origin, whose penchant for Indian art and culture made him the first curator of NGMA. His knowledge and technical know-how became the keystone for the NGMA of today to manage its art restoration services, art reference library and documentation centre.

Almost all art galleries in the world have one thing in common in their objective and that’s to engender sensitivity and awareness among the public towards art expressions. The famous Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in the same vein, for instance, displays theme based art exhibitions. They commemorated the Egyptian Week with ancient art of Egypt and right from the stage to the museum shop merchandise, everything rotated around hieroglyphs. The NGMA has been upto something similar. Earlier this month, NGMA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, organised an exhibition of the works of Stefan Norblin. Titled ‘A Master of Many Arts’, it was managed very well in terms of involving art enthusiasts from different countries. The magnificent master-pieces of the 20th century artist were made more meaningful for the audience with extensive info available on each of the works.

Lochan, true to his curatorial duties, believes in the role of museums and galleries for furthering the interest of, and for, art. He and his team are now on an all-important mission to generate funds for NGMA. Most art galleries in the West are financially independent and do not seek government aid for maintenance. These art galleries also have their revenue models, including merchandise and artefacts sales. The NGMA has followed suit. “Among all the museums I visited in India, this is the only art gallery where I find the museum shop has always something new to offer me,” says Bodgan Zdrojewski,  the minister for culture and national heritage of the Republic of Poland.

With regional centres in Mumbai and Bengaluru, may the ilk of NGMA grow, however tough it may sound in these times of increasing intolerance, and infatuation for technology.