Good news from Bangalore (Karnataka, India)
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In Bangalore, the capital city of the state of Karnataka, the Svetoslav Roerich and Devika Rani Roerich Estate Board is undertaking a major effort to inspect, conserve and restore the collection of Dr. Svetoslav Roerich’s paintings.
These paintings had earlier been kept at Tataguni, the estate of Dr. Svetoslav Roerich and Devika Rani, 22 km from Bangalore. After the demise of the famous Russian artist and his wife, widely known in India as “The First Lady” of Indian cinema, the Karnataka State Government was forced to launch a judicial investigation into attempts to illegally seize the estate with all its land and property by the former secretary of the prominent couple. The paintings were “seized” and kept at the Venkatappa Art Gallery in Bangalore.
The Roerich Estate Board have initiated to release total 241 paintings of Dr. Svetoslav Roerich from the Central Crime Branch authorities with the kind permission of Hon’ble ACMM court to be handed over to Archeology Department, for inspection, conservation and restoration work.
The work is being carried out here at the Venkatappa Gallery in Bangalore by the specialists from INTACH, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, one of India’s largest organizations dedicated to the protection and preservation of national cultural heritage. The restorers say that before the work begins, the painting is thoroughly inspected, examined under ultraviolet and infrared rays, and the composition of the paint and ground is examined. They take photographs before, during and after restoration. By now 90 paintings have been restored and around 25 paintings are in the process of restoration.
As mentioned above, the Roerich Estate Board has a total of 241 paintings by Dr. Svetoslav Roerich. Especially for those paintings the Karnataka State Government plans to build a new Art gallery with modern museum equipment on the vacant land of the Tataguni estate.
In this way, the Karnataka State Government is taking active steps to preserve the legacy of the distinguished Russian-Indian couple, Dr. Svetoslav Roerich and Devika Rani. This is particularly gratifying to know on the eve of the 120th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Svetoslav Roerich, which will take place in the jubilee year of 2024.
