The 'Louvre of Thailand' leads an ailing existence

The National Gallery has a beautiful Traditional Art Room (pictured), the museum houses the nation's oldest pha phra bot (wall painting on canvas), paintings from the sixteenth century and contemporary art, watercolors made by King Rama VI (photo left) and yet it attracts Louvre of Thailand only three thousand visitors a year against six to eight million the real Louvre in Paris.

Director Ajara Kangsarikijja attributes the demise of the 37-year-old museum to the establishment over the years of private galleries, the Queen's Gallery, the Bangkok National Museum and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

But there's more. The museum looks dilapidated, the paint is peeling, part of the building has been closed for a number of years for roof repairs, but the main reason is that the museum is not active. And that can actually be difficult with a staff of seven people and a limited budget.

Plans aplenty: refurbishment of the building (cost 100 million baht), improvement of marketing and public relations, more temporary exhibitions, improvement of the website, production of manuals, activities for children, workshops - all things that are standard in national museums. One curator is therefore being trained in Singapore and two are about to be trained in China and England.

The director hopes that all these efforts will bear fruit within three years. 'Despite our limited financial resources, we are confident in our ability to organize beautiful exhibitions. Because we have works of art in-house and we can call on foreign networks.'

For information about the collection and opening times click here for the pdf Hidden treasure in the heart of the City.

Source: Bangkok Post