The decision by the Karnataka state government to allow a private foundation to adopt the Venkatappa Art Gallery has come under severe criticism from artists and the general public. Can there be a workable model for participation from corporates in museums and art galleries that can ensure research and conservation of cultural assets and fostering art for all strata of society?
The birth centenary of Chittaprosad, the radical artist from Bengal, was last year. Born in 1915 at Naihati in present-day North 24 Parganas District, West Bengal, Chittaprosad settled in Chattagram, now in Bangladesh.
An extremely well-researched report prepared by an expert on Afghan music and brought out by the Copenhagen-based Freemuse not only sheds light on the state of music and musicians of Afghanistan at a critical juncture of history, but also provokes wider questions about the basic relationship between artistes and religious and political bigots.
