National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Bengaluru, is at 49 Palace Road in Vasanth Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. It is a branch of the national NGMA network under the Ministry of Culture and opened in 2009 in the Manikyavelu Mansion, an early twentieth-century building associated with the Mudaliar family that was restored for museum use. The gallery presents modern and contemporary Indian art from roughly the nineteenth century to the present. Its collection includes works from the colonial and early modern periods, such as the Company School, Raja Ravi Varma and artists of the Bengal School, as well as pieces by later modernists and contemporary artists, alongside sculpture, prints and photography. The displays are arranged in a broadly chronological and thematic manner across galleries in the old mansion and a newer wing, so visitors move from historic works to recent practice. The mansion is a heritage-style building with a central courtyard, verandas, arches and high ceilings, and its conversion added modern climate control and lighting while retaining period features. The gallery also stages temporary exhibitions, talks and educational programmes, and it has a bookshop and a cafe. As a government museum, its collection care and conservation are managed by the NGMA, and the mansion has been restored to a good standard. A full visit takes about two hours, and the galleries are best explored at a slow pace. It is closed on Mondays and on some public holidays. Ticket prices are higher for foreign nationals than for Indian nationals. Photography rules vary by gallery, and visitors should ask at the entrance before using a camera.