Mumbai Adventures: From the streets to private homes
Dynamic, exciting, and absolutely immense, Mumbai is a city of fascinating art and architecture. As an International Board, we had the pleasure of visiting the city upon the invitation of our fellow member, Isha Ambani, to celebrate the opening of the new Nita Mukesh Ambani Culture Centre.
We dined, we laughed, and most importantly, we witnessed first-hand a city bursting at the seams with the joys of contemporary creation.
A taste of history
We began our first day in India as a group with an architectural tour of the city. Our guide took us through 500 years of Mumbai’s history, beginning with just seven islands that were originally inhabited by fishing communities and ruled by various dynasties. The city's transformation began with the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, followed by British control in the 17th century, shaping Mumbai into a thriving trading port and ultimately leading to its emergence as India's financial and entertainment capital.
Two collections, one building
The first private home we visited belonged to the family of our fellow member, Isha Ambani. On the lower floors of the building, we met with Isha’s mother-in-law, Dr. Swati Piramal, who showed us her collection composed of Indian masters.
On the upper floors, we had the pleasure of seeing Isha’s personal, more contemporary art collection. The two collections were beautiful in tandem, a microcosm of India as whole, its past and its exciting future.
Colonial charm, not to be missed
Our last private home visit in Mumbai belonged to the collector Poonam Bhagat Shroff, who organised with Dr. Amin Jaffer a breakfast where she welcomed our group. Her traditionally colonial home was as beautiful as the art it housed.
Our group with the Consul-General of France in Mumbai, Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet