59th National Exhibition of Arts at Lalit Kala Akademi
Himanshu Dabral

The Lalit Kala Akademi’s National Exhibition of Art is held every year to exhibit works of brilliance and to give appreciation and recognition to outstanding artists. The 59th National Exhibition of Art was inaugurated by Minister of Culture Dr Mahesh Sharma. The exhibition features artwork from an extensive series of mediums, for example paintings, sculptures, graphic work, photographs, drawings, installation and multimedia, over three different floors. The Exhibition opened before a large audience of art practitioners, artists, art collectors, art lovers and critics from all over the country. The catalogue for the 59th National Exhibition of Art was also been released by Minister of Culture Dr Mahesh Sharma.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Mahesh Sharma, Minister of Culture said “The 59th National Exhibition of Art is a platform for young, upcoming, known and famous artists to display their talent and creativity. It is a portal where the entire country can view various mediums of art by innumerable artists.” He also said “A person who does physical toil is a labourer, a person who utilizes his brain to work can be an engineer but it is only artists who works with all their heart. Let us help all these artists to get a platform to display their art and creativity.”

The inauguration ceremony was attended by several eminent personalities such as Adwaita Gadanayak (DG, NGMA), Vijay Kumar, Katerine Kumar, Pravesh Khanna, Mukul Pawar, Gogi Saroj Pal, Ananda Moy Bannerji, Amit Dutt (Awardee) to name a few. “Contemporary art is reaching out to a larger audience and globally evolving. The artworks highlight the signature style of each artist, depicting the current cultural and global influences on Indian art, thus creating a deeper interest in art today. The works of the 59th NEA are shining examples of quality and innovation.” Is another notable quote, from Administrator of Lalit Kala Akademi Sh. C. S. Krishna Setty.

The Akademi had received 3644 entries submitted by 1433 artists throughout the country. The selection jury unanimously selected 172 exhibits in different disciplines by 171 artists for the National exhibition. Out of 172 exhibits, the jury selected 15 National Academy Awardees for the 59th National Exhibition of Art.