Thane gets a grand art lovers’ hub

The launch of Thane Kala Bhavan came as good news for art lovers and enthralled artists with its spacious designs. “The art gallery is more beautiful than our expectations,” said artist Kishor Nadavdekar,who had done a group show in April.  

The art fraternity drooling over the new gallery is not unjustified,because with 16,000 sq feet of space spread over three floors with an illumination of natural light along with the powered ones,the gallery stands out as spectacular. Built in a spherical shape,it appears conical from outside,and offers a 360 degree view,from wherever one stands in the gallery.

“The gallery is very spacious. The number of visitors is also satisfactory. Even Mumbai does not have such a gallery. Now architects in Thane will not have to go all the way to Mumbai for purchasing pictures,” said artist Sagar Bondre.

For Nadavdekar,it was love at first sight with the Thane Kala Bhavan. “The gallery can hold three or more shows at a time. Besides,people’s response to the shows is also encouraging,” said Nadavdekar.

The spherical walls of each gallery can accommodate about 40 paintings and with three galleries,120 paintings can be displayed. “It is ideal for displaying works of bigger dimensions. ,” said artist Rajendra Chaudhary. The ground level of the gallery is used for display of Thane city’s history. It houses a library,conference room and workshop rooms.

Sharmilaa Iyyer,founder of Naitaai Gauras’ Art Gallery at Thane,has volunteered her service to Thane Municipal Corporation for running shows effectively. “The idea behind having library,conference and workshop rooms is to evolve this into an institution and not merely as an art gallery,” said Iyyer.

The gallery has been constructed in public-private participation and designed by architect Praveen Jadhav. So serious is TMC about its foray into fine art that it has been offering insurance cover up to Rs one crore for displayed work of the artists. “Though insurance cover is quite common in other nations,we are the first to introduce it in India. Every artwork displayed is protected from loss or damage,” said Mahesh Rajdharkar,manager of Thane Kala Bhavan.