Located on the Pantheon Road, the National Art Gallery in Chennai is among the most treasured art galleries of the city. Regarded as the cultural capital of India, Chennai is home to large number of art galleries and museum, displaying variety of art objects. Built in 1907 by T. Namberumal Chetty, architecture of National Art Gallery is based upon Henry Irwin theme. Art Galleries in Chennai play active role in preserving the heritage and culture of Chennai in true sense. The architecture of the building is influenced by the aesthetics of Mughal era architecture.

This renowned Chennai National Art Gallery treasures some of the most exclusive and the most exquisite paintings, few bronze and panchaloka statues, dating back to 10th century AD. Panchaloka statues are made from the combination of five metals. Among the most fascinating statues is the statue of dancing Lord Shiva, Called Nataraja, along with his wife, Goddess Parvathi. Other attractions at the gallery are the Lord Krishna paintings, dating back to 17th and 18th century. Other mythological and historical characters are also depicted in some paintings, belonging to the same era.

You can really be enchanted by the glass and mica, Tanjore paintings displayed in the gallery. Other attention grabbers in this magnificent Chennai Art Gallery are the miniature paintings, depicting various historical characters from the Mughal period. One can see beautiful portraits of emperors Akbar and Jahangir. In many scenes, they are depicted holding the affairs of the court. Rajput Paintings, belonging to 18th and 19th century are also fine example of artistic skills of people of ancient times. An antique piece, gifted by the Governor of Madras Presidency is the centre of attraction in the gallery. This gallery is also known as the Victoria Memorial Hall in honor of Queen Victoria. The building was constructed during British period and most of the paintings were donated in that period only. You can see the works of Ravi Verma and Raja Verma and other eminent painters of contemporary art. These paintings include various forms of art such as landscapes, portraits and others in various colors and hues.