The National Gallery of Modern Art in Mumbai is one of the three parts of a vast collection of fine art works. Its other two parts are exhibited in galleries in New Delhi and Bangalore, and altogether the collection numbers 14000 exhibits.
The idea of collecting and displaying paintings by contemporary Indian artists for the general public first arose back in 1949 with the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The formation of the painting collection began only in 1954 in Delhi, and only in 1996 was the branch of the National Gallery opened in Mumbai.
The holdings of India's modern art gallery consist of works by Indian and foreign artists of the 19th-20th centuries. The oldest painting in the collection was created in 1857. Among the best-known modern artists whose works can be seen here are Maqbool Husain, Shankar Palsikar, Syed Haider Raza, F.N. Souza, and others. A small collection of paintings by Pablo Picasso is also kept here.
The exposition is very diverse: classical Indian miniature, works by European artists painted in India, works by masters of the Bengal school, canvases in popular 20th-century styles - abstractionism, Art Nouveau, surrealism, expressionism. Photographs by renowned art photographers are exhibited separately.
The gallery periodically hosts visiting exhibitions by artists from India and other countries, and cultural and historical treasures are displayed. A permanent exhibition of Egyptian artifacts, statues, and mummies is always on display.
