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Journalism of Courage
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This is an archive article published on November 9, 2010
The New Order
Established in 1968,the Government Museum and Art Gallery is all set for a revamp which will include amidst others a better display for its large collection that ranges from antiquities.
Established in 1968,the Government Museum and Art Gallery is all set for a revamp which will include amidst others a better display for its large collection that ranges from antiquities that came to India post partition from the Lahore Museum,to artworks procured on the initiative of Dr MS Randhawa,a patron of art and first chief commissioner of Chandigarh. The changes have been sought keeping in view what international museums have, says museum director Navjot Randhawa,who worked on a proposal directed at making the changes at a meeting of committee members that was headed by art historian Dr Goswami and included Pradeep Mehra,adviser to the administrator and cultural secretary Ram Niwas.
While a whopping budget of Rs five crore will be required for the master plan,the architects are already working towards making the changes. So several sections including textile,metal sculpture,Chandigarh Harappan,ancient Indian sculpture,Gandhara and miniature painting will be upgraded with facilities like temperature control,special lighting,fibre optic lights,non-reflective glass for artwork and moisture control. We plan to loan the Harappan collection to Panjab University Museum and take out various works which are in storage. We hope to have a better display by creating more space, says Randhawa.
The system of accepting donations of artwork will also change and each item will be required to get the consensus of the art purchase committee. The huge stock of paintings made by senior artists at carnivals that have taken place over the years is also being reviewed. Says Randhawa,Some of the works will be retained and the rest will be either given back to the artists or donated to schools and colleges.
Better display will also be given to the work of the local artists. The paintings of Chandigarh artists will find a special place in rotational exhibitions in a renovated gallery. The first exhibition will comprise artwork of Prem Singh,former principal of the Government College of Arts, says Poonam Khanna,assistant curator at the museum. The show will act as a semi-retrospective,featuring works of the 60s and 80s and Singhs acclaimed series of veiled woman. It will provide an opportunity for the public to see the works of artists from the city, adds Khanna. She also points out that the Gandhara sculptures and miniature paintings in the museum collection are considered among the best in the world. Also suspended on the walls is artwork painted by some of Indias best,from Rabindranath Tagore to Amrita SherGil,Nandalal Bose,Jamini Roy,Raja Ravi Varma,MF Husain,SH Raza and Bhupen Khakkar.
The new sections on the anvil? The master plan includes an art gallery for children,senior citizens gallery and a cafeteria on the rooftop. You want people to spend leisurely time at museums and soak in all the beauty and charm, smiles Randhawa.
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