One of the premier institutes of the country, National Gallery of Modern Art, in Delhi, houses some of the oldest paintings and art pieces of India. There are about 14,000 pieces in the gallery, some of which date back to the 1850s. Some of the famous painters whose works have been displayed here include Rabindranath Tagore, Raja Ravi Verma, Thomas Daniell, Gaganendranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, along with foreign artists and sculptors.

An ideal stopover for art connoisseurs, the Academy of Fine Arts, in Kolkata, boasts many interesting exhibits that will leave you in awe of the rich heritage of the city. This cultural hub, built in 1933, has around eight galleries for exhibiting art on the ground level, along with a museum that showcases art and artists over the ages. There are many paintings and sculptures housed here from 1900 to the present.

Street murals of a flute seller standing by the roadside, a sardarji sitting behind a pile of books and reading his newspaper, a cow staring indolently in space and a shopkeeper serving sweets to her customers, and many others, greet you at Lodhi Art District, located in Lodhi Colony, in Delhi. A nondescript neighbourhood that saw a stunning transformation, the art district is a living canvas that brings to life stories from around you. The whitewashed walls along the streets have become canvasses for artists from India and across the world, who have turned the area into India’s first public art district.

A premier museum of national importance, Asutosh Museum of Indian Art is one of the best places to study Kolkata's fascination with art. It boasts a rich collection of paintings, scrolls, coins, sculptures, folk-art objects, woodcuts, textiles and other decorative arts from all over the country. Housing about 25,000 exhibits, it is a university museum.