Kochi gets a new art gallery in David Hall that is 315 years young
Published September 2, 2010 | 
Kochi’s newest art gallery is the prestigious David hall, which was built around 315 years back! Bult in 1695, it was the residence of a Dutch commander Hendrik Adriaan Van Reede Tot Drakestein, who is also the author of renowned book “Horticus Malabaricus” before becoming the home of a Jewish business man, David Koder,after which it was named.
Located near the parade ground in Fort cochin, the artgallery is now run by Tby CGH who has leased out the building for 25 years.The restoration work that span over 2 decades was undertaken with utmost care to make sure that the original character and aesthetic beauty of the building is fully retained instead of adding new structures to mar its originality.David hall will be a showcase for paintings and performing
arts to be a complete cultural centre in Cochin. David hall will focus more on propagating and promoting little known art forms and will be the right arena for the upcoming artists to exhibit their works. With a mission to make art more affordable for common people, David Hall has set a new precedent that will surely influence many other art lovers.
By incorporating a cafe into this art gallery, David hall is paving way for interesting coffee table discussions on arts and culture and more public participation. Now that the well cherished dream of David Hall art gallery becoming a reality, the Kashi Art gallery will have a competitor nearby, which will only do more good for the arts and cultural richness of Kochi.
