Lucknow, Nov. 22 -- The foreign art Gallery at the state museum is set to open for visitors this December in a new form. Srishti Dhaon, director of the UP museum directorate, said that construction of the gallery began in March and is now almost complete. "The gallery will be inaugurated in the first week of December. Earlier, it was housed in a tin shed in front of the Natural History Museum, but now it has been relocated and converted into an open gallery behind the Rajhans aircraft. The project cost Rs 159.88 lakh. Special landscaping is being done," said Dhaon. Vinay Singh, director of the state museum, said that most of the sculptures in the gallery were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. "These sculptures were installed at major intersections in Indian cities during the British era. After the socialist movement of 1955, they were removed and kept at the police lines and the district magistrate's office. Between 1980 and 1982, most of these statues were transferred to the museum for preservation. The state museum now houses 22 such statues made of marble and metal. Many of them are 15-20 feet tall. While many were crafted in London, some were made by Indian sculptors as well. One such artist is H. S. Roy from Kolkata, These sculptures are displayed to show the art of that era," he said htc...