The National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi has opened one of the largest sculpture exhibitions in its history. TAKSHANAM, inaugurated on 15 October 2026 by Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, brings together more than 250 sculptures by 150 artists across the gallery's rooms, running until mid-November.

The Sanskrit word takshanam refers to the act of carving or chiselling, and the show treats that gesture as its through-line. Seasoned masters and emerging sculptors appear side by side, with works moving from materials and idioms rooted in ancient Indian sculptural principles to fully contemporary abstraction. The exhibition is conceived as a shared platform for artistic encounter, tracing continuities, transitions and new possibilities in the country's sculptural landscape.

Speaking at the inauguration, Shekhawat described the gathering as a meeting of India's artistic traditions and contemporary expression, and singled out the pairing of established and emerging talent as a commendable effort. The minister walked the galleries and spoke with participating artists. Ministry of Culture secretary Vivek Aggarwal was also present.

In a first for a show of this scale at the institution, the works on view are also offered for sale — a deliberate step, officials said, toward connecting artists directly with collectors and sustaining artistic practice. The announcement drew attention in a week when Mumbai's branch of the NGMA also opened Satish Gujral: The Modernist Returns, giving the national gallery's network two high-profile openings within days of each other and underscoring a particularly active moment for public institutions in India.