Dhaka Museums and Art Galleries Tour (Self Guided), Dhaka

The National Art Gallery of Bangladesh was created by the Shilpakala Academy in 2003; in a short period of time it became rather well-known. The gallery is housed in a two-story building with exhibition halls and workshops used for educational purposes. Here students are taught how to clean and preserve pieces of art and more. The gallery displays a vast selection of art works. It features both permanent and temporary exhibitions.

The Institute of Fine Arts was designed by architect Mazharul Islam and built in 1955. The Institute is placed on the campus of University of Dhaka. It contains eight departments: graphic design, ceramics, sculpture, crafts, print making and others. Other than being an educational institution, the Institute also houses and displays works of art of local as well as international artists, including acclaimed ones, such as Alark Roy, Shahabuddin Ahmed and Zainul Abedin.

The Bangladesh National Museum, originally established on 20 March 1913, albeit under another name, and formally inaugurated on 7 August 1913, was accorded the status of the national museum of Bangladesh on 17 November 1983. It is located Shahbag, Dhaka. The museum is well organized and displays have been housed in several departments like department of ethnography and decorative art, department of history and classical art, department of natural history, and department of contemporary and world civilization. The museum also has a conservation laboratory.

The ground floor consists of some old guns at the entrance and the hall where the people book their tickets or assemble to hear the history of the museum. The hall leads to a grand staircase. Beside the hall, there is a smaller room which also acts like the hall and a simple staircase.

Bangabandhu Memorial Museum is placed inside the former three-story house of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a charismatic leader and Father of the Bangladesh Nation, who helped Bangladesh gain its independence in 1971. Bangabandhu was arrested in his residence on March 25, 1971. Tragically, he and his entire family were assassinated in 1975. The house became a museum in 1997 and now displays a unique collection of Bangabandhu's personal objects and photographs of his lifetime. The museum is open every day except Wednesdays.

The Drik Gallery is a private art gallery in Dhaka, established in 1989. The word ‘Drik’ is from Sanskrit and it means ‘vision’ and ‘inner vision.’ The main focus is on paintings, sculptures and photography. The gallery is famous for its elegant layout and interesting exhibitions, which attract many visitors annually. The gallery houses solo exhibitions by such artists as Raghu Rai and Shahidul Alam. It also organizes workshops throughout the year. The Drik Gallery offers media services, such as web development, video production and more.