About
To promote, exhibit and award excellence in Indian visual arts through the Annual All India Art Exhibition and the Kala awards.
The All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS) is India's oldest independent arts organisation, founded in Delhi in 1928 by Indian arts patrons. In the decade after independence, several of its national functions were transferred to the three national academies (Lalit Kala Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sahitya Akademi), but AIFACS continued as an independent society. It organises the Annual All India Art Exhibition -- the longest continuously running open art exhibition in India, now in its 99th edition -- accepts works in painting, drawing, graphics and sculpture. Its most prestigious awards are the Kala Shree, Kala Vibhushan and Kala Ratna (inaugurated 1988), with twelve awards in each grade every three years; the highest recognition is the Kala Samrat. The AIFACS building at 1 Rafi Marg, New Delhi (a distinctive triangular building contracted by Sir Sobha Singh) houses four galleries and was inaugurated by President Rajendra Prasad in 1952.
AIFACS was founded in 1928 at a moment when Indian arts patronage was beginning to organise itself independent of colonial institutions. Its first act was to send an All India Art Exhibition to London to enable the British Government to select Indian artists to decorate India House -- four artists were selected and their works still adorn India House, London today. The exhibition toured European countries and returned to India only in 1932. Since then the Annual All India Art Exhibition has been held without interruption. In the 1940s, the Society exhibited Amrita Sher-Gil, Sailoz Mookherjea and Manishi Dey -- artists who are now recognised as foundational figures in modern Indian art. After independence, AIFACS made the first formal proposal for a National Art Gallery in 1938, a proposal that eventually resulted in the founding of the National Gallery of Modern Art in 1954. The Society's triangular Rafi Marg building was inaugurated by President Rajendra Prasad in 1952.
Visit & Access
Initiatives & Portfolio
Open submission annual exhibition of paintings, drawings, graphics and sculpture. India's longest continuously running art exhibition -- 99th edition in 2026. Has exhibited Amrita Sher-Gil, Sailoz Mookherjea and generations of Indian artists.
National visual arts awards given every three years. Kala Shree, Kala Vibhushan and Kala Ratna inaugurated 1988 (12 awards in each grade per cycle). Kala Samrat is the highest recognition.
11 international exhibitions hosted at AIFACS, giving Delhi audiences access to global contemporary art.
AIFACS occupies a unique position in India's visual arts ecosystem as the only pre-independence arts organisation that has continued uninterrupted as an independent society. Its Annual Exhibition has provided a democratic, open-submission platform for Indian artists across 99 years. Its awards have recognised artists whose contributions span the entire history of modern and contemporary Indian visual art. While the national academies superseded many of its coordinating functions after independence, AIFACS has continued as an exhibition venue and award body with a track record unmatched by any other non-governmental arts organisation in India.
[Atlas Perspective] CultureAtlas profiles AIFACS as an institution of exceptional historical significance whose contemporary relevance deserves more attention than it typically receives. Its 99-year record of annual open exhibitions is a unique contribution to India's democratic arts infrastructure. The Kala Samrat award, given to artists of lifetime achievement, is among the most venerable artist honours in India. CultureAtlas notes that AIFACS's building at Rafi Marg is itself a significant piece of Delhi's cultural geography -- centrally located, historically important, and in active use.