Nepal Art Council

The Nepal Art Council (NAC) was established in 1962 as a national institution, with the prime objective of promoting the art and artists of Nepal.

King Mahendra was the patron, with incumbent Prime Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista as Founding President, Nepal’s leading modern artist Lain Singh Bangdel as General Secretary and independent promoter of the arts Gen.

Mrigendra SJB Rana as Treasurer. It was conceived, constituted and initiated as a Public-Private partnership. A brainchild of Bangdel, NAC was brought to life through his total dedication, and the unceasing support of his peers: Prime Minister Bista and Gen.

Mrigendra Rana. It was later registered as a service oriented non-profit, non-government, organisation, and has remained a pioneering and leading institution in the arts ever since.

The completion of the current building in 1991, with grants from the Government of Nepal, Government of India and donations from the private sector have allowed the Council to further expand the range of its activities. In recent years, the premises of the Council have been renovated and infrastructure upgraded to meet international standards.

By pioneering the nurturing of artistic talent for over half a century; the Nepal Art Council has played a pivotal role in helping a new generation of contemporary Nepalese artists working in various genres, to emerge and attain the level of excellence we witness today.