When we think of Mumbai, our mind wanders to the luxurious life of Bollywood stars. After all, the city is the film centre of India. But Mumbai has more to offer. Apart from its glorious nightlife, long marine drive, and vast beaches, Mumbai also has several renowned art galleries and museums that you must visit once. These art galleries are known for being a cultural Mecca, exhibiting the prowess of famed and emerging artists. Let us take a look at 9 art galleries in Mumbai that are redefining art and propagating global culture.
Jehangir Art Gallery
Jehangir Art Gallery was founded in 1952 by Sir Coswaji Jehangir. The complex was built by Durga Bajpai. The gallery has exhibited works by painters MF Hussain and SH Raza. It is also the host of the annual Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. Jehangir Art Gallery is one of the most prestigious galleries in Mumbai, conducting 300 exhibitions and shows per annum. The complex includes four galleries — the Main Gallery, the Terrace Gallery, the Exhibition Gallery, and the Hirji Jehangir Gallery. These spaces are useful in displaying the ever-changing roster of paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other visual art. The Jehangir Art Gallery is managed by the Bombay Art Society.
Delhi Art Gallery (DAG)
The Delhi Art Gallery (DAG) in Mumbai was founded in 1993 by Rama Anand. Although it found its humble beginnings in New Delhi, it quickly extended to Mumbai, Kolkata, and New York. The modern architectural design is a fitting backdrop for the diverse range of artworks displayed within. The gallery comprises multiple exhibition spaces, showcasing various forms of Indian art, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other visual art mediums. DAG is committed to promoting Indian culture and art, serving as a hub for both established and emerging artists to exhibit their works.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS)
A museum which has documented the history of India from prehistoric to modern times is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS). The museum was founded in 1922 as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India. The name was changed in 1998. CSMVS houses more than 50,000 artefacts divided into the categories of art, archaeology, and natural history. It has over 25 in-house galleries featuring miniature paintings, manuscripts, ivory Gupta sculptures, Tibetan and Nepali art, old weapons, ornaments, coins, and dioramas.
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum
Formerly known as The Victoria and Albert Museum, Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum was inaugurated in 1872. Numerous archaeological discoveries, old maps and historical photographs of Mumbai, clay models, jewellery made of silver and copper, and costumes are all displayed in the museum. Among its notable holdings is a 17th-century Hatim Tai text. It also houses the iconic Kala Ghoda statue.
Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya
Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya was Mahatma Gandhi’s Mumbai headquarters from 1917 to 1934. Essentially a memorial dedicated to Gandhi, the museum houses a photo gallery, from his childhood to his assassination, including paper clippings. The library has over 40,000 books on and by Gandhi. The second floor of the building is where Gandhi lived and worked, which is preserved in its original setting. The Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya hosts Gandhi’s films and voice recordings. The museum also features tiny figurines depicting his life and pivotal moments.
Nehru Centre Art Gallery
The Nehru Centre Art Gallery was established in 1992. The Art Gallery is surrounded by several facilities, including an auditorium, a planetarium, five enormous exhibition halls, and specially constructed lecture and seminar halls. It is committed to promoting the work of up-and-coming as well as recognized artists. The classic ‘Discovery of India Exhibition’ includes images, audio-visuals, dioramas, and three-dimensional copies of important architectural and artistic masterpieces. Over 50,000 exhibits are housed in a 100,000-square-foot space that is separated into sections based on architecture and history.
Jaya He GVK New Museum
The Jaya He GVK New Museum is a part of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Terminal 2. Established in 2014, it is India’s greatest public art initiative. The museum is built in the shape of a multi-story Art Wall with approximately 7,000 pieces of Indian antiques and artwork. As part of its permanent exhibition, it includes ceremonial artefacts, architectural elements, paintings, sculptures, textiles, and other items of various antiquity and provenance incorporated into over a hundred art installations. Doorways, façades, old boats, bullock carts, porches, temple chariots, lotuses, angels, ancestor figures, and heavenly guardian figures are just a few of the artefacts that you may encounter.
Si Bambai
Si Bambai is a cultural space cum art gallery that offers a platform to emerging artists. It is a creative hub that features everything from immersive exhibitions to performance art, poetry-reading, dance and music. Nestled within a 90-year-old South Mumbai building, the gallery operates on the third floor, propagating a studio atmosphere.
Gallery Chemould
Gallery Chemould or Chemould Prescott Road is a contemporary art gallery founded in 1963 by Kekoo and Khorshed Gandhy. It was earlier housed in Jehangir Art Gallery but moved to Prescott Road in 2007. It has featured the likes of Tyeb Mehta, SH Raza, and MF Hussain. Gallery Chemould was the impetus to the modernist movement in the art space in India, later expanding to experimental artists.
Image Courtesy – Holidify
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