Located in the bustling Colaba area of Mumbai, Cowasji Jehangir Hall is a museum dedicated to the modern arts. It works under the administration of National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Delhi. A part of the 20,000 square feet of exhibition area in the museum houses a permanent display of NGMA’s artifacts while the rest of the museum is used to setup temporary exhibitions.

While the museum was initially constructed in 1911, it was redesigned in 1996. Being an ancient heritage structure, only the interiors of the building could be renovated. This was done by architect Romi Khosla. He built walls inside the structure and laid a marble floor over the ancient flooring.

Today, the museum is split into four galleries at different levels. These are well connected with one another to give visitors good space to move between the exhibits. There are also spaces earmarked for seminars and audio-visual presentations.

Visitors to Cowasji Jehangir Hall enjoy a bookshop, library and services of a café as well.

History

Cowasji Jehangir Hall was built by George Wittet in 1911 at a cost of around Rs. 19,00,000 with a donation by Sir Cowasji Jehangir of Rs. 4,00,000. The rest of the funding came from two philanthropists of Mumbai, Sir Jacob Sassoon and Sir Currimbhoy Ibrahim. At that time, it was a part of the Institute of Science. Later in the year 1996, it was converted into a museum of modern art.

Initially, Cowasji Jehangir Hall was the only one available in Colaba area and it used to see a number of visitors thronging it until the 1950s. With the setting up of newer auditoriums in Mumbai, this museum soon lost its popularity and also came under the threat of putting it up for other purposes. It is at this time that the National Gallery of Modern Art took it under its wings and made it functional again. The renovation took almost 12 years and was done at a cost of around Rs. 3.5 crores. At the end of it, the hall was rebuilt in such a way that it is now compared to some of the best exhibition halls across the world.

Features

• It is a protected heritage property in the posh Colaba area of Mumbai city.
• There are 5 exhibition galleries in the museum, which are well connected to one another.
• While the building had horse-shoe balconies earlier, they were renovated to provide for exhibition space.
• Some semi circle balconies can be spotted in the building.
• There is an interesting teak and chromium stairway.

On Display

Cowasji Jehangir Hall displays mainly artifacts related to modern contemporary art that are the property of the National Gallery of Modern Art. The hall also hosts temporary exhibitions showcasing the art of diverse artists from across the country.

This museum has seen art work of renowned painters such as Akbar Padamsee, MF Hussain, SH Raza and Jahangir Sabavala.