The National Art Gallery at Pantheon Road (Egmore) houses a plethora of paintings dating tentatively from around the 10th century A.D. Some of the bronze and panchaloka statuettes, made from five metals, belong to that age. These depict Nataraja, the dancing form of Lord Shiva and his spouse goddess Parvati. These paintings are of the 17th and 18th centuries and depict Lord Krishna in various postures besides many other mythological and historical figures, for instance - Mughal rulers as well as some of the Rajput or Maratha chieftains. In addition, there are intricate glass and mica paintings that once again hail from Tanjore and are more or less attributable to the same era.

The adjacent building is a world of contemporary art, the handiwork by the eminent painters, Ravi Verma and his son Raja Verma. The paintings vary from portraits, landscapes to simple modern art in an assortment of colours and hues. At present, only two floors are adorned by these paintings. The third floor is temporarily out of bounds to prospective tourists and art viewers.

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