By: Staff Writer
July 29, Colombo (LNW): The Colombo Art Gallery has been vandalized during the past 14 years due to official bungling and negligence as well as lack of funds, informed sources aid.
The Art Gallery has faced misfortune and neglect since around 2008. The first hall was closed due to water infiltration during heavy rains, but renovation was never prioritized due to a lack of allocated funds.
Eventually, all halls were closed, and construction work was halted, leading to the destruction of ancient paintings.
Officials are unaware of the exact number of paintings in the gallery, and there is no available data. An employee from the Department of Cultural Affairs suspects that existing records may have been destroyed and some old paintings stolen or sold.
Instead of restoring the old paintings, officials displayed photographs of the paintings, which were then counted as originals.
Some high-value paintings were replaced by photographs of politicians, falsely counted as drawings in audits. Between 2008 and 2016, the number of paintings in the gallery decreased annually, but there are no records of the exact number lost.
Since 2008, about 300 paintings have been misplaced, sold illegally, or destroyed. Information suggests some paintings are in politicians’ residences. As of now, the gallery officially holds 240 paintings and nine sculptures, with 10-15 of those being photographs. Records of the titles or artists of some paintings are missing.
Anoja Gamage, a former director of the Cultural Affairs Department, mentioned that in 2022, she prepared a cabinet paper requesting 1,500 million rupees for restoration work, but the work remains unfinished.
During her tenure, she ensured none of the 240 paintings went missing. Audits revealed inconsistencies, with some artworks initially marked as drawings later listed as photographs, questioning the authenticity and accuracy of the audits.
In 2018, discussions about restoration resurfaced, and Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, then Minister of Cultural Affairs, allocated funds for restoration within a day.
However, some officials showed no interest in the restoration work. Gamage, appointed as director in 2019, initiated restoration plans with received funds and trained local editors with the help of an American art editor.
A portrait of Ananda Samarakoon, painted around 1927, was discovered during her restoration efforts. Unfortunately, Gamage was transferred to another ministry, leaving the work incomplete.
By 2016, an audit found nine sculptures and 240 paintings in the gallery.
The disappearance of around 300 paintings between 2008 and 2016 remains unexplained. Currently, the remaining paintings are stored in an air-conditioned environment at the John De Silva Memorial Theatre, adhering to international standards.
