A day after the formal inauguration of the renovated Venkatappa Art Gallery, about 200 artists, including ones from the Venkatappa Art Gallery forum, gathered at the venue and held a “Gallery Pravesha.”
The artists who congregated at the renovated gallery marked the event by cutting ribbons and exploring the new additions there. “After a struggle of 10 years, we can now proudly say Bengaluru has a superb art gallery,” said Pa.Sa. Kumar, Karnataka Lalithakala Academy president.
Left out from the list
The artists had boycotted the formal inauguration by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Tourism Minister H.K. Patil, after the invitation from the gallery and the government failed to mention artists from the State. Those who stayed away from the formal event included senior artists like S.G. Vasudev.
“We have been raising voices for the renovation of the gallery for the last 10 years. Core committee members were consulted at every stage of the work, but for the inauguration, we were left out. Not even senior artists or Academy heads were invited,” said Sheela Gowda, core committee member of the Venkatappa Art Gallery forum.
