Rs. 11-crore lifeline for National Art Gallery

The gallery was closed in 2002 after it was damaged and one side of the building caved in

The National Art Gallery is situated at the Egmore Museum complex. Photo: R. Ravindran

Almost a decade since it was closed after cracks appeared on its structure, the National Art Gallery in the Egmore Museum complex will soon be ready to welcome visitors once again.

On Friday, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced Rs. 11 crore for its restoration.

In a

suo motu statement in the Assembly, she said of the six buildings on the Museum campus, three were more than 100 years old. The National Art Gallery, one of the landmarks of Chennai, is among them.

Besides housing traditional Thanjavur, Rajasthan, Deccan and Miniature paintings and sandalwood carvings, the gallery was also used for lectures in the past. It was closed in 2002 after it was damaged and one side of the building caved in, she said.

Opened in 1909 and known as the Victoria Memorial Hall, the pink structure used to house the Victoria Technical Institute. In 1951, it was renamed ‘National Art Gallery’.