The Lalit Kala Akademi, India’s national academy of the visual arts, runs a regional centre in Chennai on Greams Road, Thousand Lights, according to the Union Tourism Ministry’s Incredible India guide. For artists in the south, it is the place where national scholarship holders work, where studio shows and workshops happen, and where an outside group can stage an exhibition.
It is also one of the Akademi’s oldest regional centres. A reply in Parliament described Chennai as one of five centres, with Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow and Garhi in Delhi, that had been operating for more than three decades, according to the Parliament Digital Library.
What the Akademi is
The Lalit Kala Akademi was inaugurated on 5 August 1954 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, then Education Minister, and registered as a society on 11 March 1957, according to the Akademi’s website. It is the youngest of the three national akademis and the one devoted to the visual arts: painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, photography and art history. It works under the Union Ministry of Culture, runs the National Exhibition of Art, and holds a permanent collection of modern and contemporary Indian art.
The Chennai centre is the Akademi’s base for a large slice of the country. For the scholarship scheme, it covers Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry, Goa, Maharashtra and Lakshadweep.
What happens at the Chennai centre
The Akademi’s own event listings give a good picture of a typical year. In 2026 alone, the Chennai centre hosted:
- Scholars Open Studio 2026, an exhibition of work by the Akademi’s research scholars in painting, printmaking and sculpture, open to the public until 22 June 2026.
- Meet the Photographers on 19 August 2026, for World Photography Day.
- A waste-material sculpture workshop from 18 to 21 September 2026, with ten sculptors and ten college students.
Over the years the centre has also run camps for tribal and folk painting traditions such as Gond, Warli, Madhubani, Phad, Saura and Pithora, according to the Parliament reply. The September 2026 listings mention newly installed solar panels on the campus.
The Open Studio event page explains the idea: scholars show work in progress so they can meet the wider art community, which makes it a good event for students and collectors to attend.
How artists can use it
There are three main routes in.
1. National scholarship
The Akademi offers up to 75 scholarships a year at Rs 20,000 a month for 12 months, for artists aged 21 to 35, according to its scholarship page. Scholars must work from a regional centre allotted by the Akademi, whose decision is final, and send at least two certified photographs of their work each month. Artists from the southern and western states listed above are normally placed in Chennai. Watch the website for the annual call.
2. Showing work in the gallery
The centre’s galleries are used by outside organisers as well as the Akademi. In April 2019, for example, a Chennai fine arts college staged an international exhibition of more than 2,000 paintings at the Akademi’s Chennai premises, inaugurated by the then Governor, according to Raj Bhavan’s record. The Akademi’s site carries a gallery allotment form for 2026-27, with gallery rules and a map. Ask the Chennai office about slots, charges and lead times for its own galleries.
3. Workshops and camps
Workshops such as the September sculpture camp take a limited number of artists and students. They are announced on the Akademi’s events pages, so check the Chennai centre’s listings regularly.
Contacting the centre
The Akademi’s contact directory lists the Chennai office as follows:
- Regional Secretary: M. Sovan Kumar
- Office phone: 044 2829 1692
- Email: rc.chennai@lalitkala.gov.in
The website does not publish visiting hours or studio-use charges for Chennai, so call before you go, especially if you want to see a show on a weekend.
The national calendar is worth following too. The 65th National Exhibition of Art, held at Rabindra Bhavan in New Delhi, was extended until 31 October 2026.
Quick answers
Where is the Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai?
On Greams Road in Thousand Lights. Call 044 2829 1692 for directions and visiting times.
Can anyone attend exhibitions there?
Public shows such as the Scholars Open Studio are open to visitors. Entry details are given with each event.
Who can apply for the Akademi scholarship?
Visual artists aged 21 to 35. Up to 75 are awarded a year, at Rs 20,000 a month for 12 months.
Is it a state or central body?
Central. It is an autonomous academy under the Union Ministry of Culture.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Lalit Kala Akademi home page (Lalit Kala Akademi, Ministry of Culture)
- Chennai Regional Centre (Lalit Kala Akademi)
- Scholarship (Lalit Kala Akademi)
- Scholars Open Studio 2026 (Lalit Kala Akademi)
- Contact Directory (Lalit Kala Akademi)
- Parliament answer on Lalit Kala Akademi regional centres (Parliament Digital Library)
- Discovering Chennai’s artistic delights (Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism)
- Governor’s address at Chitramela 2019 (Raj Bhavan, Tamil Nadu)
