There is a special significance attached to the 47th National Exhibition of Art, being held at our Regional Centre, Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendra, Lucknow, as a part of our golden Jubilee Celebrations. The National Exhibition is held every year to introduce the latest trends in Indian art but the present occasion also marks the inauguration of the newly constructed wing of the Regional Centre, Lucknow. The centre has elaborate and state of the art galleries such as collecting and displaying art works, the Lucknow Centre will invite artists and art lovers from different parts of the country as well as the world. It will promote artistic exchanges among visitors, local artists, and invited artists through workshops, seminars, camps, and other activities. The institution will no doubt serve to enhance the city's appeal as a cultural centre.

Art is a continually growing process. Various modes of expression co-exist and fresh experiments are repeatedly made, thus paving the way for further advances. Moreover, the type of media selected by the artists is also expanding. Over the last two decades, the Contemporary Indian Art has developed at a brisk pace, while going through a process of trial and error and encountering various difficulties. Today it is the focus of world attention. Contemporary art works that strive for novelty in an effort to express the artist's individuality are being produced in large numbers. For the National Exhibition, we received 8076 entries by 2692 artists. The selection and awards have been selected by a two tier jury.

First, a five-member selection committee met in New Delhi and short-listed 271 works for display in the National Exhibition. The second jury met in Lucknow and selected 15 works of art for National Awards. The focus of this year's selection was to provide an opportunity to those young emerging artists who are not known but whose works expose their genuine artistic expressions and reflect tendencies of significance. It goes without saying that this new effort dedicated to the prolific cultural production is not something that developed only at the hands of its organizers but was realized through the co-operation and participation of numerous artists also.

The Lalit Kala Akademi is grateful to the Uttar Pradesh Government and the Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Ltd. for their financial and operational support in the construction of the new wing. I would especially like to thank Smt. Neena Ranjan, Secretary and Shri K. Jayakumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India for their unstinting support and guidance. My thanks are also due to Prof. Jai Krishna Agarwal, Shri Mukul Panwar, Shri Vidhya Sagar Upadhyay, Shri P. Rajivanayan and Shri Rm. Palaniappan for their valuable contribution in monitoring and coordinating the project.

Last but not the least my sincere thanks to Prof. R. B. Bhaskaran, Chairman, Prof. C.L. Porinchukutty, Vice Chairman, Officers and Staff of the Lalit Kala Akademi for making the event possible.