Best Art Galleries In Mumbai Near Me

4worldlovers: Box, gold foil, glass, silver, late 19th - early 20th century, Nathdwara.

This box is a fine example of the Rajasthani thewa work which originated near Nathdwara. The lid depicts a scene of a royal hunt or shikar, executed in gold tracery with minute details.

4worldlovers:
The National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai was opened to the public on 23rd December, 1996. It is located in the precincts of the former auditorium the Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall (C. J. P. Hall) and the Institute of Science. It is a subordinate office of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. This architecturally marvellous building was designed and built by the famous British architect George Wittet in 1911.


Only the facade remains of the edifice that was formerly the auditorium known as the Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall. This building has been completely redesigned by the famous architect Romi Khosla giving it a spiral spin. The interior with its elegant horse - shoe shaped balconies now exhibits a different look as the hollow interior exhibits a central stairway with semicircular galleries at different levels. Sir C. J. Hall, as it was popularly known, has been transformed into the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai.

On opening night, as the cognoscenti gaze at masterpieces of the past half-century at an exhibition on the Progressive Artists' Group, which served as a nucleus for the contemporary art movement in the country. Old timers might recall concerts where coiffeured ladies listened to recitals by Yehudi Menuhin, Paul Robeson, and the Bombay Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mehli Mehta (father of Zubin Mehta); freedom rallies ringing to the voices of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Mohammed Ali Jinnah; annual exhibitions of the Bombay Art Society or meetings of the Parsi Panchayat, for which a special provision was made by the donor, Sir Cowasji Jehangir. For the next generation, however, the renovated structure represents a stride into contemporary times with glimpses into the best of Indian Art today. C. J. Hall was donated to the city of Mumbai in 1911 by Sir Cowasji Jehangir, whose family has gifted the city, no less than four magnificent public buildings.

The complex of the Cowasji Jehangir Hall and the Institute of Science was built by the British architect Wittet at a cost of 19 lakhs, with the balance of 11 lakhs being contributed by Sir Currimbhoy Ibrahim and Sir Jacob Sassoon. The only other public hall being Town Hall, the new hall filled a vacuum in the cityà cial life. At the inauguration of the complex, Lord Sydenham said: "Bombay is fortunate in the possession of so many good citizens who, recognizing that great wealth carries obligations, have come forward to assist in meeting the various growing needs of the city".

Till the fifties, C. J. Hall was the city’s premier location for concerts, political meetings and art activities but fell into disuse after the construction of Jehangir Art Gallery and air conditioned auditoriums like Tejpal, Birla and Patkar Halls which had better acoustics and lighting. Neglect led to deterioration and in the sixties and seventies it would be hired out for boxing matches, trade union meetings, wedding receptions, and discount sales of leather goods and readymade garments.

4worldlovers: Swept away in the tide of Time. - M. K. Gandhi