Indian Art Gallery, a gallery space for traditional Indian paintings including the murals of Kerala, was opened at Bodhi Building at Ravipuram on the 20th anniversary of the Indian School of Arts.

Kerala Lalithakala Academy Chairman C.N. Karunakaran inaugurated the gallery. Cartoonist Yesudasan delivered the keynote address. Muralist and painter K.K. Warrier, who is also director of the gallery and the school, presided over the function.

The Indian School of Arts in the past two decades has carried out restoration of several centuries-old mural paintings and temple murals (including those on the southern wall of the Sree Krishna Temple Guruvayur) besides restoring works by artists such as Raja Ravi Varma, Arumugham Pillai and Madhava Warrier. While there is demand for traditional paintings and murals, they don’t generally get exhibited in galleries. The Indian Art Gallery will be trying to address that. The Indian School of Arts will be under the able guidance of Shashi Warrier as the principal.