Context: The Ministry of Culture has curtailed the powers of Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA) Chairman, V Nagdas. The Chairman is now barred from taking any administrative actions which also includes matters of appointment, recruitment, transfer, disciplinary action and financial decisions without consulting the Ministry.
About Lalit Kala Akademi (Academy)/National Academy of Art
- It was inaugurated in New Delhi on 5th August 1954 by the then Minister for Education, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
- The objective was to promote fine arts/visual arts in India.
- The Akademi also deals with the international arts.
- It was registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860, in 1957.
- It is an autonomous body and is funded by the Union Ministry of Culture.
- Functions through General Council, Executive Board, and other Committees, as given in the Akademi’s Constitution.
- The Chairman of the Akademi is appointed by the President of India. The term of office for the Chairman is three years, which can be extended.
- Main Centre: New Delhi
- Regional Centres: Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Shimla, Shillong and Bhubaneswar.
- The National Art Award: One of the awards and honours in India and Asia, awarded by Lalit Kala Akademi.
Definition of Visual art
- One of the constitutional objectives of the LKA in 1954 was to preserve and protect art forms of surviving indigenous and traditional craftsmen, painters, and sculptors.
- However, the ‘Creative Arts’ as defined in the 1954 constitution are only paintings, sculpture, and graphics.
- In 1978, the rules of participation of the Triennial stated that the art forms constantly referred to as ‘folk’, ‘tribal’, and ‘tradition’ would not be allowed as they are not in the ambit of the ‘contemporary’.
- National Exhibition of Art (NEA):
- Most prestigious annual event organised by the LKA. During this event, the artists are awarded.
Triennale-India exhibitions
- In 1968, the LKA started its programme aiming to enter the international art circuit with the Triennale-India exhibitions.
- In these exhibitions, a host of countries were invited to participate in New Delhi at regular intervals of 3–4 years.
- Triennale aimed not only at creating a meeting ground for artists from the global south but also for those of the industrially developed countries.