Entertainment · Books & Arts · 1 day ago
Raja Ravi Varma paintings from Vadodara collection may travel for exhibitions
Paintings by Raja Ravi Varma from the Gaekwad royal family’s collection in Vadodara are expected to travel to exhibitions in India and abroad.
Radhikaraje Gaekwad, who oversees the collection, announced the plan during the Aikyam Festival in Gujarat.
The works are held at Laxmi Vilas Palace and the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum.
The paintings last travelled outside Vadodara about a decade ago, for an exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
The museum is now undergoing major renovation, and a secure, climate-controlled storage facility is being built for more than 40,000 objects from the family collection.
A larger museum is also planned to display the collection.
Gaekwad said exhibitions could help attract visitors, but organising events in Vadodara can be difficult because of logistical, permit and infrastructure challenges.
Radhikaraje Gaekwad said Raja Ravi Varma paintings from the Vadodara royal collection may be sent to exhibitions in India and abroad in the future.
The collection is housed at Laxmi Vilas Palace and the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum in Vadodara.
The paintings last travelled outside Vadodara about a decade ago, for an exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
The museum is undergoing a major renovation, and a climate-controlled storage facility is being built for more than 40,000 objects in the Gaekwad family collection.
Gaekwad also cited logistical, permit and infrastructure challenges to organising events in Vadodara.
- Who
- Radhikaraje Gaekwad, custodian of the collection, said the paintings may travel for exhibitions.
- What
- Raja Ravi Varma paintings from the Gaekwad collection may be exhibited nationally and internationally.
- When
- The announcement was made on October 11, 2026.
- Where
- The collection is housed at Laxmi Vilas Palace and the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum in Vadodara, India.
- Why
- The paintings may travel for exhibitions in the future; a specific reason was not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Raja Ravi Varma was commissioned by the Gaekwad royal family.
The paintings were exhibited at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai.
The paintings were exhibited at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, their last trip outside Vadodara.
Radhikaraje Gaekwad said the paintings may be sent for exhibitions nationally and internationally in the future.
- Collection location
- Laxmi Vilas Palace and the Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum, Vadodara
- Planned storage facility
- 20,000 sq. ft., climate-controlled and secure
- Collection objects
- More than 40,000 objects
- Last overseas exhibition
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London, about a decade ago
- Artist’s commission
- 1888, by the Gaekwad royal family
What people are saying
There are a lot of obstacles, and to organise events like these logistically, even simple things like getting a licence can be extremely challenging.
Ravi Varma is the artist who created the faces of our gods and goddesses.
Sources
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