It is not every day that the works of Akkitham Narayanan, MF Husain, C Douglas and Achutan Kudallur share the same wall. At Garden of Our Memories – I, now showing at the Lalit Kala Akademi, Sarala’s Art Centre brings together nearly 200 paintings and sculptures by artists who have intersected with the gallery over its six-decade journey. 

Founded in 1965 by Soli J Daruwala and Moti Daruwala, Sarala’s Art Centre was among the first private galleries in South India dedicated to modern and contemporary art. The venture grew out of a framing business Daruwala established in Madras after working in the framing section of the Chemould Art Gallery in Bombay. Widely considered among the city’s first commercial framers, the Daruwalas soon expanded the space into a gallery.