Chandigarh, Jul 21 (IANS): The Government Museum and Art Gallery here has brought out a publication which features 60 iconic artwork and artifacts from the museum's rich collection.

The book entitled Masterpieces was released by Chandigarh Adviser Manoj Parida on Tuesday.

He commended the efforts of the museum and suggested that the book should be made available at multiple tourist spots in the City Beautiful to increase awareness about the museum's rich collection.

The publication has coloured illustrations and each artwork is accompanied by a textual description that highlights the aesthetic and historical significance of the masterpiece.

Among those featured are Gandhara sculptures; miniature paintings from the courts of erstwhile Pahari and Rajasthani kingdoms; modern and contemporary Indian works by artistes like MF Husain, FN Souza, and Satish Gujral; decorative art; rare manuscripts; coins dating back to Kushan and Gupta dynasties; and some textiles.

The text has been contributed by Vrinda Agrawal, Tagore National Research Scholar for Cultural Research at the museum while the photography of the artworks has been done by Girish Nephade.

According to Museum Director Radhika Singh, the selection was not an easy process as the museum has innumerable outstanding works.

The selection was made on the basis of the significance of the object in the art history context and also it's value as representative of diversity of the museum collection.

The book will be available for sale at the museum souvenir shop once it reopens for the visitors.