"First used as a High Court, this Roman-influenced building became the State Art Gallery in 1983; it houses antiques, artefacts and art collections including watercolours by AB Ibrahim."
The building which houses the State Art Gallery today was built in 1912, once served as the High Court as well as the headquarters of several state government departments. On July 25, 1983, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah proclaimed it as the Balai Seni Negeri Kedah Darul Aman (Kedah Darul Aman State Art Gallery).
The architecture of the State Art Gallery has strong colonial influence. The gallery comprises five sections, which houses antiques, historical relics and several arts collections including some fine Malaysian landscape watercolour paintings by AB Ibrahim. Other facilities include a souvenir shop where one can buy postcards and art supplies.
The Gallery opens daily from 10am through 6pm, but closes from 12pm to 2.30pm on Fridays. For more information, please contact the Tourism Malaysia office at +604-7312322 /
+604-7301322 or the State Economic Planning office at +604-7007113.
Last viewed - May 17, 2008
Getting there
By Bus
There are regular air-conditioned express bus services from Kuala Lumpur's Puduraya bus station to Alor Setar, including Plusliner (Tel: 603-20720763)
By Plane
From Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Airlines (tel. 1 300 88 3000 or 603-78463000 outside Malaysia) provides daily flights Alor Setar's Sultan Abdul Halim airport (Tel: 604- 7144301) just north of Alor Setar town. From there, you can catch a taxi to town. Optionally you can also use AirAsia (Tel: 1 300 88 9933 or 603-78849000 outside Malaysia) which provides daily flights from Kuala Lumpur to Alor Setar.
By Rail
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) provides regular trips from Kuala Lumpur to Alor Setar town in Kedah. For further details please visit www.ktmb.com.my or contact KTMB at 603-22747435
By Road From Kuala Lumpur, take the North South Expressway (NSE), heading north towards Kedah and take the Alor Setar Selatan exit (Interchange 177) into Alor Setar which is about 4km from this NSE exit.The State Art Gallery is located along Jalan Tunku Ibrahim close to the Royal Museum and Balai Besar
User recommendation
"This is a place where you get to see the showcase of the best arts in Malaysia. Been there a few times for some art exhibition and the building it self never failed to impress me. " by elin
"Masa time study dulu, bosan-bosan selalu pergi tempat ini. Cuba menghayati lukisan -lukisan yang ada. Cantik dan mengkagumkan. Kadan-kadang mengusik jiwa ..." by angah
"Bangunannya yang cantik dan memberi inspirasi kepada para pengkaji bangunan. " by shoana
"satu usaha yang bagus..menukarkan bangunan yang dulunya mahkamah tinggi kepada keadaan sekarang" by si polan
"Good site please keep it up. I dey here" by mugu larry mugu
"This old fashion concrete building of Kedah historical peace should be remain as it is. Its architecture should be well preserved. We should encourage more Tourists to Kedah. I was born in Kedah and I'm very proud of it." by Tengku Intan Alia
"Ingatkan di KL sahaja ada balai senilukis negara..rupanya di kedah pun ada. memang menarik untuk peminat lukisan" by moose
"I like the architecture of that old fashion and concrete building as it's the historical piece that can be found in Kedah. It's somehow so scary being inside it although there were a few securities. " by iamja
"I have witnessed the rapid change
of K.L. over th past 13 years and
meanwhile I'm happy about every
old building which is not damaged
for so called "development". Last
bad example: The Bukit Bintang
Girls' School! So, whenever I can
see and enjoy a wellkept building
like this one anywhere in Malaysia
I'm very satisfied and send my
heartliest congratulation to those
who did their best to preserve the
past and dedicate it to a function
in our times.
" by Johannes Sulzbach
"did a project on this building when i was younger.. =) really enjoyed our local masterpieces.. but beware.. the hallways does get spooky.. =) it's a very old building.. they might have move the Balai Seni to a new place some time ago.." by rifdy
"Being here alone is just like in the haunted house. Well, the architecture is unique and should be well-preserved." by fuza
"I love to look at the architecture of the building. Feel like being in Rome and Ceaser. The exhibits here are real masterpiece. It brings back all the memories during thise times. Some area is quite dark." by imran
"unique place to be" by simon
"Bangunan lama ini memang menjadi salah satu tumpuan untuk para karyawan kerana terdapat banyak lukisan yang melambangkan sejarah masa lalu." by Fitri Alia
"It is situated the Balai Nobat. Most of that buildings in that area were used by the Royal family." by Scalia
"Bangunan ini patut dipelihara sebaik mungkin oleh kerajaan negeri. Binaannya seakan-akan bangunan yang terdapat di Rome." by Irwana Ameera
