CultureEast India Company rule

Madras School of Art founded

· Egmore

Surgeon Alexander Hunter founded a private art school in Madras, today's Government College of Fine Arts.

In 1850 the surgeon Alexander Hunter established a private school of industrial art in Madras. It was taken over by the government and became the Government School of Industrial Arts, and later the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai. It is one of the oldest art schools in India. The school trained artisans and artists and later became a centre of the Madras Art Movement.

Related events

  1. 1819

    1. 1819EgmoreHealth

      Madras Eye Infirmary established

      The Madras Eye Infirmary, now the Egmore Eye Hospital, was founded and is regarded as the oldest eye hospital in Asia.

  2. 1851

    1. 1851Government Museum, ChennaiCulture

      Government Museum, Madras founded

      Built on collections donated by the Madras Literary Society, the Madras Government Museum, India's second oldest, was founded.

  3. 1855

    1. 1855EgmoreEnvironment

      Madras Zoo begins at the Government Museum

      Edward Balfour started a zoological park in the Government Museum premises, the origin of today's Vandalur zoo.

  4. 1889

    1. 1889EgmoreEducation

      Victoria Technical Institute opens in Madras

      Marking Queen Victoria's golden jubilee, the Victoria Technical Institute opened on Pantheon Road in Egmore.

  5. 1908

    1. 11 Jun 1908EgmoreInfrastructure

      Madras Egmore station building opens

      The Indo-Saracenic terminal of Egmore station, Madras terminus of the South Indian Railway, was opened on 11 June 1908.

  6. 1936

    1. Jan 1936Adyar, ChennaiCulture

      Kalakshetra founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale

      Rukmini Devi Arundale founded Kalakshetra at Adyar, Madras, an academy for Bharatanatyam and the arts.

Open in the timeline explorer