Have you ever found yourself in Bengaluru with a day (or two) to explore the local art scene? We recommend a list of 10 galleries and museums that are worth your time
New Delhi and Mumbai have long been the centres of Indian contemporary art movement with institutions like Jehangir Art Gallery, DAG or Nature Morte attracting a steady stream of visitors. Bengaluru, by contrast, is seeking to join their ranks. Its new entrants like the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) and longstanding institutions such as Venkatappa Art Gallery signals the city’s ambition. Beyond the 10 important art galleries and museums listed here, a collection of art spaces — including Kynkyny Art Gallery, Art Houz and Time and Space (founded by art collector Renu George) — continue to stage art exhibitions for public view.
The city’s artistic journey begins at its centre. Start on Museum Road with the Venkatappa Art Gallery and the Government Museum, then continue to MAP. After lunch, choose one of two routes: head to Lavelle Road to visit the MKF Museum of Art and Time and Space, or make your way to Double Road for 1 Shanthiroad Studio Gallery and Gallery Sumukha — check ahead for ongoing shows to prioritise. Alternatively, spend the afternoon at the NGMA and the Chitrakala Parishad. If time allows, save the remaining stops for Day 2.
MKF Museum of Art
In the heart of the city, on Lavelle Road, the MKF Museum of Art — run by the Manjushree Khaitan Foundation since 2018 at the behest of the late Manjushree Khaitan — houses a notable private collection of modern and contemporary works, including pieces by M.F. Husain, Jamini Roy, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Balan Nambiar and Yusuf Arakal. The gallery also stages rotating exhibitions of contemporary artists putting it on the art map. Just across the street is Time and Space, a long-standing gallery now housed in a modern building, is a destination for collectors and art patrons.
Address: 55/1, Lavelle Road, Opposite Soda Bottle Opener Wala, Shanthala Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru. Phone: +91 90192 76294; Opening hours: Tuesday through Sunday 11:00 AM – 6:30 PM, Closed on Monday.
Venkatappa Art Gallery
The newly renovated Venkatappa Art Gallery sits beside two landmarks: Cubbon Park and the Government Museum, South India’s oldest museum. It was initiated by the Karnataka government in 1966 and finally inaugurated in 1975. VAG’s permanent collection features art by K. Venkatappa, artist-educator K.K. Hebbar, the father-and-son duo Nicholas and Svetoslav Roerich, and sculptor Rajaram. Since 1975, the gallery has maintained a long tradition of supporting artists by providing affordable exhibition space, helping launch the careers of notable artists such as Sheela Gowda and N. Pushpamala. Visitors often linger by its lotus pond, a quiet spot for musings and conversation. In recent years, local artists protested a government plan to transfer management, curation, and renovation to a private foundation; they won.
Address: Venkatappa Art Gallery Building, Kasturba Road, Ambedkar Veedhi, Sampangi Rama Nagar, Bengaluru, Phone: +91 80 2286 4483; Opening hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Mondays closed.
The Museum of Art & Photography
Known simply as MAP, the Museum of Art & Photography houses an expansive collection of paintings, sculptures, textiles, photographs and more, some dating as far back as the 10th century. Opened in 2023, the six-storey museum dedicates its galleries to both permanent collections and rotating exhibitions, and includes a well-stocked gift shop on the ground floor.
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Its founder, art collector Abhishek Poddar, had previously founded the Tasveer Art Gallery before envisioning MAP to make art accessible to a broad audience. Currently on view is a three-year-long exhibition exploring the representation of women in art which also has works by prominent Bengaluru women artists. Further, in Terminal 2 of Kempegowda International Airport, MAP has launched a ‘museum in transit,’ an ancillary space presenting small-scale, regularly changing shows.
Address: 22 Kasturba Road, Shanthala Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru, Phone: +91 80 6933 4100; Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday: 10:00 am – 6:30 pm, Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 am – 7:30 pm, Mondays closed.
Shanthiroad Studio Gallery is a haven for experimental and contemporary art practices.
1 Shanthiroad Studio Gallery
A longtime favourite among the city’s art lovers, 1 Shanthiroad Studio Gallery is more than an art space — it’s a haven for experimental and contemporary art practices. Founded in 2002 by art historian, curator and author Suresh Jayaram, the space has hosted a steady stream of exhibitions, performances and artist talks featuring both emerging and established voices. It also publishes select books, including its recent Bangalore’s Lalbagh: A Chronicle of the Garden and the City by Jayaram himself. Its distinctive architecture, centred on an open courtyard, invites guests to linger and converse with resident artists, who are often happy to discuss their work.
Address: 1, Shanthi Road, Bheemanna Garden, Shanti Nagar; Opening hours: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. It may close on national holidays.
Gallery Sumukha
Just off 1 Shanthiroad stands Gallery Sumukha, one of Bengaluru’s older private galleries (1996) and a landmark in the city’s contemporary art scene. Run by gallerist Pramila Baid, it regularly hosts exhibitions featuring artists from across India and abroad. Among the prominent artists it has featured are S.G. Vasudev, Ravikumar Kashi, Paresh Maity and Senaka Senanayake, along with rising voices such as V.G. Venugopal and Aishwaryan.
Address: 24/10, BTS Depot Road, Wilson Garden, Bengaluru. Phone: +91 93804 20041; Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10:30 AM – 6:00 PM, Sundays closed.
Government Museum
The Government Museum’s iconic red façade, beside the Venkatappa Art Gallery on Museum Road, is hard to miss. Built in 1877 in the neoclassical style — with Corinthian columns, sloping eaves and circular arches — it houses an important collection of archaeological and geological artifacts. Among its treasures is the Halmidi inscription, one of the earliest known examples of written Kannada. The museum also holds hero stones recounting the valour of local chieftains, along with temple inscriptions dating from the 3rd century B.C.E. to the 16th century C.E., spanning the Chola, Hoysala and Ganga dynasties. Look, too, for the Begur inscription (circa 890 C.E.), one of the earliest known records to use the name ‘Bengaluru.’
Address: Kasturba Rd, Ambedkar Veedhi, Sampangi Rama Nagar, Bengaluru. Phone: +91 80 2286 4483; Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Mondays closed (Please check before visiting as the museum has been undergoing renovation).
National Gallery of Modern Art
There are two reasons to visit the NGMA. The first, of course, is its art collection; the second is the Manikyavelu Mansion itself, a heritage building set amid 3.5 acres of gardens dotted with sculptures. Inside, the gallery holds an extensive collection of contemporary works. Operating since 2009, the NGMA has hosted several important shows in its galleries. When you are exploring the city’s art circuit, this is a pleasant spot to pause for lunch at its café. Or continue a little farther north to the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. Nearby, the private Art Houz gallery regularly showcases both emerging and established contemporary artists; worth a stop if there is an exhibition on.
Address: 49, Manikyavelu Mansion, Palace Road, Bengaluru. Phone: +91 80 2234 2338; Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Mondays closed and on national holidays
Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath
Established in 1960 due to the efforts of the late Arya Murthy (Founder President) and late Prof Nanjunda Rao (Founder Secretary) Founding key individuals, the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath is home to both emerging artists and an eclectic permanent collection spanning folk, traditional, modern and contemporary art.
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Highlights include galleries dedicated to the Roerichs, a collection of prints by master printmaker Dr Krishna Reddy, and the Mysore Traditional Museum, where two galleries display classical Mysore-style paintings created with vegetable and mineral pigments, gold leaf and gesso work. In the basement lies ICKPAC, the Intach Chitrakala Parishath Art Conservation Centre, South India’s only art restoration facility. With luck, a conservator might offer a glimpse into the delicate process of preserving centuries-old paintings.
Address: Art Complex, 1, Kumarakrupa Rd, near The Lalit Hotel, Kumara Park East, Seshadripuram, Bengaluru. Phone: +91 80 2226 1816; Opening hours: Museum area: 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM, open every day except public holidays.
Regular exhibition galleries: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Rumale Art House is named after the artist and freedom fighter Rumale Channabasavaiah.
Rumale Art House
In the western part of Bengaluru stands the Rumale Art House, named after the artist and freedom fighter Rumale Channabasavaiah. Few artists have captured Bengaluru on canvas as vividly as Rumale, who was born nearby in Doddabalapur in 1910. A master of watercolours, he used the medium in unconventional ways, applying it opaquely rather than with the usual transparency. Often called the ‘Van Gogh of the South,’ Rumale was known for his vivid, swirling strokes and use of colour. Today, about 90 of his works are on view in the gallery which is the city’s first private art space, founded by the artist himself in 1973.
Address: 674, 45th Cross Road, 3rd Block, Rajajinagar, Bengaluru. Phone: 95356 78111; Opening hours: Weekdays: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM, Weekends: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM.
aPaulogy Gallery is located in Richards Town, a quiet neighbourhood that still boasts shady, tree-lined streets.
aPaulogy Gallery
Call it a gallery or a shop, aPaulogy showcases humorous watercolour paintings and prints for sale. Artist Paul Fernandes, a longtime Bengalurean, captures the city’s bygone charm: the tree-lined avenues, the cyclists, the old pubs and familiar landmarks. He says visiting aPaulogy is like stepping back into the Bengaluru of earlier days. Fittingly, the gallery is located in Richards Town, a quiet neighbourhood that still boasts shady, tree-lined streets.
Address: 002, Edward House, Railway Station back Gate, 37, Pottery Rd, Richards Town, Bengaluru. Phone: +91 96325 06422; Opening hours: Monday to Saturday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM.
