The Baroda school of art
The Faculty of Fine Arts at the Maharaja Sayajirao University is one of the most important centres of modern art in India — the home of the celebrated ‘Baroda school’. Founded in 1950, it broke from rigid academic convention to nurture a bold, experimental and internationally aware art education, and its teachers and alumni include many of the biggest names in modern and contemporary Indian art.
The roll-call explains the faculty’s weight: N. S. Bendre, K. G. Subramanyan and Sankho Chaudhuri built the teaching; Gulammohammed Sheikh, Bhupen Khakhar and Jyoti Bhatt made ‘Baroda’ shorthand for a narrative, figurative modernism that argued with both Western abstraction and revivalist nostalgia; and later generations have kept the campus at the centre of Indian art’s debates — sometimes controversially, always consequentially. The faculty’s garden studios, with sculpture rusting handsomely under the trees, are themselves a portrait of the school’s working ethos.
For the visitor, the entry points are the exhibitions and the annual Fine Arts Fair each December — the campus’s open-house week, when studios sell student work at prices collectors remember fondly for decades. The faculty sits by Sayaji Baug’s cultural cluster, an easy add to the museum and palace circuit; check the university calendar for shows, and treat working studios with a guest’s courtesy.
Its studios, galleries and the much-loved annual Fine Arts Fair — with its handmade art, prints and crafts sold by students — make it a living cultural hub that draws art lovers from across the country. For anyone interested in Indian art, it is Vadodara’s quiet cultural heart.
A working faculty; visit the galleries and events when open.
Art & palette.
Where Indian modernism found a campus
Studios & galleries.
The Faculty of Fine Arts is founded at MS University, breaking from rigid academic convention.
It nurtures a bold, experimental and internationally aware approach that becomes the celebrated Baroda school.
Its teachers and alumni come to number among India's leading modern and contemporary artists.
The annual Fine Arts Fair, with handmade art and crafts sold by students, becomes a much-loved cultural fixture.
Reasons to make the time
Baroda school
Modern Indian art.
Art cradle
Bold & experimental.
Famous alumni
Leading artists.
Studios & galleries
A living hub.
Fine Arts Fair
Handmade art & crafts.
Cultural heart
Of the city.
What to look for inside
THE FACULTYFine Arts
The Baroda school's home studios and galleries.
THE FAIRAnnual event
Handmade art.
STUDIOSGalleries & studios
A living creative hub.
ALUMNILeading artists
India's biggest modern names.
TRADITIONBaroda school
Bold and experimental art.
CULTURECultural heart
Vadodara's quiet art centre.
How to spend an hour or two
See the galleries
Student & faculty art fills the studios and galleries of the faculty.
Sense the Baroda school
Feel the bold, experimental tradition that shaped modern Indian art here.
Learn the famous alumni
Trace the leading artists whose careers began within these studios.
Visit during the Fair
Time your visit with the annual Fine Arts Fair for handmade art & crafts.
Soak the creativity
Wander a living creative hub that hums with student energy.
Pair with the campus
Combine it with a stroll around the historic MS University campus.
Fine Arts Faculty.
A cradle of modern art
The Faculty of Fine Arts at MS University (Founded 1950) is the home of the celebrated ‘Baroda school’ — a bold, experimental art education whose alumni number among India’s leading modern artists, with studios, galleries and a beloved annual Fine Arts Fair.
More places to visit across the district are gathered in our Vadodara travel guide.
Vadodara’s quiet cultural heart, it remains a working faculty rather than a monument.
Home of the ‘Baroda school’
Founded in 1950
Many leading-artist alumni
The annual Fine Arts Fair
When to go
Cool and pleasant — the ideal season. Comfortable all day for exploring the campus and galleries.
Green and atmospheric after rain, with a fresh, uncrowded feel around the university grounds.
Hot and dry — start early in the day or keep visits short during the warmest hours.
⏰ Visit in the cooler months and combine it with Vadodara's palaces and gardens nearby.
Timings & entry
- Open in daytime hours
- Best in the cool season
- An easy Vadodara stop
- Pair with nearby sights
- A working art faculty
- Visit galleries when open
- The Fair is a public draw
- Be respectful of students
Getting there
By Air
Vadodara airport is about 9 km away, with connections to major Indian cities a short cab ride from the campus.
By Rail
Vadodara Junction is one of Gujarat's busiest railway stations, well connected across the national network.
By Road
The faculty sits in and around central Vadodara, easily reached by auto, app-cab or city bus.
At Fine Arts Faculty
ART & CREATION
A cradle of modern art
What to shoot
Galleries & art.
Moment
The Fine Arts Fair.
Setting
The MSU campus.
Best light
Campus by day.
Know before you go
More to see close by
STEPWELLNavlakhi Vav
A grand stepwell within the palace grounds
PALACELaxmi Vilas Palace
The Gaekwads’ colossal Indo-Saracenic residence
MEMORIALSayaji’s Legacy
The reformer-king’s monuments across the city
RIVERFRONTVishwamitri Riverfront
Green riverbanks winding through the city
ISKCON Baroda
A serene Krishna temple & cultural hub
Kirti Mandir
The Gaekwad family’s memorial temple
Where to eat near Fine Arts Faculty
THALIGujarati Thali
Sweet-savoury full meals.
FARSANSev usal
Baroda's spicy snack.
STREETLilo chevdo
Famous Baroda street food.
Foodie city
Famous for sev usal, lilo chevdo & farsan.
Fine Arts Faculty FAQ
What is Fine Arts Faculty?
The Faculty of Fine Arts at the Maharaja Sayajirao University is one of the most important centres of modern art in India — the home of the celebrated 'Baroda school'. Founded in 1950, it broke from rigid academic convention to nurture a bold, experimental and internationally aware art education, and its teachers and alumni include many of the biggest names in modern and contemporary Indian art.
Where is it?
MS University, Vadodara.
Is there an entry fee?
It is a working art faculty — visit the galleries and events when open. The annual Fine Arts Fair is a public draw.
When should I visit?
October to March, in the cooler season.
What's nearby?
Vadodara's palaces, gardens and Champaner.
How long does it take?
About an hour.
Related places across Gujarat
COUNTRYSIDECharotar Villages
Lush dairy & farming country
LEGACYNarsinh Mehta no Choro
Where Gujarat’s poet-saint sang his bhajans
HERITAGEPrabhas Patan
An ancient holy town with a fine museum
CURIOSITYJhulta Minar
The mysterious ‘shaking minarets’
The Pols
◐ Early light · facades
6Gomti Aarti, Dakor
Lamp-lit evening worship by the Dakor lake
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Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 24 August 2026