NGMA organises 'A Night at the Museum'

To disseminate information about Indian art and culture to wider audiences, National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, (NGMA) organised Night at the Museum on January 30, 2019. The first edition of this event is organised in collaboration with the India Art Fair.

Director NGMA Delhi Ritu Sharma, welcomed the guests which included India Art Fair's international delegation. NGMA and India Art Fair's guide lecturers conducted the guided tour of the prestigious permanent collection which is on display at the permanent gallery. Highlight objects include works of art of Amrita Sher-Gil, Rabindranath Tagore, Raja Ravi Verma, Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy to name a few.

India Art Fair Director, Jagdip Jagpal stated that it was a wonderful initiative and she look forward to many more collaborations.

The Director General NGMA Adwaita Charan Gadanayak mentioned that the idea of extending museum visiting hours and organising a special event such as Night at the Museum was initiated to increase museum visitation and introduce the collection and work to a larger audience. "The process began a year and half ago with extending museum hours and introducing outreach and educational activities for all age groups. NGMA started programs such as Art Adda that included film screenings, classical music and dance and workshops etc., which coincided with the in-house curated exhibition to provide comprehensive information to the visitors. I believe that such initiatives shall help disseminate information about Indian art and culture to wider audiences."

Visitors also visited special in-house curated exhibitions entitled Roopantar – an exhibition of sculptures from the treasures on NGMA and Dandi Yatra – an exhibition that pays homage to the iconic Dandi March.

The Director NGMA Delhi also stated that NGMA has received an overwhelming response for the auction of mementos received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which was held on January 27 and 28, 2019 at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. The two-day physical auction culminated on January 28, 2019 and the e-auction is ongoing on the portal www.pmmementos.gov.in.

There was tremendous buzz generated in respect of these gifts as these items have been accessible to the general public through auction being espoused for the noble charitable work. The bidders supported the cause wholeheartedly.

Exclusive items that were auctioned included statues, photographs, paintings and articles such as angavastram, shawls, commemorative coins, traditional musical instruments, hats, pagris and jackets etc. to name a few. T

he proceeds contribute towards the project Namami Gange. The international visitors enjoyed viewing the display of these items at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.

Sharma also shared that the NGMA aims to conduct Night at the Museum as a regular activity and organise it on the last working day of every month.

The exhibition will be on view except Mondays and National holidays.