National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru

The National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru, is a branch of India's national modern art gallery, opened in 2009 at 49 Palace Road in Vasanth Nagar, Central Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. It occupies the restored Manikyavelu Mansion, a heritage building, and a large modern wing joined to it, set among lawns and old trees. The collection covers Indian art from the 19th century to the present. Visitors see paintings, sculptures and graphic works by artists including Raja Ravi Varma and Nicholas Roerich, along with works from the Bengal School, folk and modernist traditions, and contemporary installations. Rotating exhibitions fill the modern wing, and an art bookstore and cafe provide places to pause. The mansion's rooms, courtyards and staircases add architectural interest, and visitors often photograph the contrast between the old mansion and the glass-and-stone wing. A typical visit takes an hour and a half to two hours, and art enthusiasts can easily spend longer. The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00AM to 5:00PM and closed on Mondays. Tickets cost around INR 20 for Indian nationals and INR 500 for foreign nationals, with reduced or free entry for students, and official details are on the gallery's website. Weekday afternoons are quietest; weekends see more families and school groups but the galleries rarely feel packed. The gallery is about two kilometres from Cubbon Park metro station and about one kilometre from Bangalore Palace, so an auto-rickshaw or cab is the easiest option. Photography rules vary by exhibition, so visitors should check signs. Some galleries are cool and dimly lit to protect works.