Art competitions will be held at schools, colleges; plan to allocate Rs 25 Cr: D K Shivakumar

Bengaluru, Jun 12 (PTI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Thursday that his government is planning to conduct art competitions at schools and colleges and Rs 25 crore has been allocated for the purpose.

He was addressing the inaugural event of the newly renovated Venkatappa Art Gallery, which was restored along with Brigade Group.

“As the minister in charge of Bengaluru city, I will conduct competitions at the school and college levels to promote art. We plan to allocate around Rs 25 crore for this and collaborate with the education department to take this forward,” said Shivakumar.

According to him, the government of Karnataka is open to suggestions from the public and is willing to consider them for the development of Bengaluru.

“The world is looking at Bengaluru and in order to make it a world class city, the government is planning an investment of Rs1 lakh crore over the next three years,” he added.

H K Patil, Karnataka's Minister for Law & Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation, and Tourism, who inaugurated the art gallery, said its renovation work is a perfect example of how private-public partnerships can help transform the city for the benefit of the people.

"It is commendable that Brigade Group has completed the renovation work and handed over Venkatappa Art Gallery to the government in only 15 months. The department of tourism is happy to consider the request of the Brigade team to name one of the newly created galleries after the Brigade Group," said Patil.

Patil said the Brigade Group has spent Rs 8-9 crore towards the renovation of the art gallery.

Speaking at the event, M R Jaishankar, Executive Chairman, Brigade Enterprises Limited said, "Art has the power to tell stories, bring people together, and shape society. We envisioned the renovated space not only as a tribute to its legacy but also as an evolving platform where emerging artists can find inspiration and recognition." He added that together with Indian Music Experience Museum, India's first interactive music museum, his real estate group has done its bit to uphold Bengaluru's reputation as a vibrant cultural hub as well as make high-quality art experiences more accessible to the common man.

The foundation stone of Venkatappa Art Gallery was laid on November 24, 1967. It was founded mainly as a gallery to house the paintings, musical instruments and plaster of paris bas reliefs, which formed the collection of Karnataka's most famous artist, K Venkatappa, a pupil of Abanindranath Tagore.

Apart from dedicated spaces to showcase the works of Venkatappa and K K Hebbar, another celebrated artist from Karnataka, the renovated gallery will also have five mini galleries featuring rotating exhibitions. New visitor-centric spaces have been introduced to enrich engagement and art conservation efforts.

A state-of-the-art restoration room has also been established, providing conservators with essential tools to maintain and restore both contemporary and historical artworks.

Other additions include a modern cafeteria, auditorium and a sculpture park where emerging artists can display their work. Accessibility upgrades, including ramps and elevators, and upgraded public amenities are other structural changes added to the newly renovated gallery.

Rizwan Arshad, Shivaji Nagar Constituency MLA; Shalini Rajneesh, Chief Secretary of Karnataka; Salma K Fahim, Secretary to Government, Department of Tourism; and Devaraju A, Commissioner, Department of Archaeology, Museums & Heritage were also present at the inaugural event. PTI JR ADB