The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum is Mumbai’s oldest museum, established in 1857, and is the erstwhile Victoria and Albert Museum, Bombay. The chief cornerstone of the Museum was laid on 19 November 1862 and the Museum opened to the public at the present site on 2 May 1872. The Museum building has been recently renovated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and was opened to the public by the Honourable Chief Minister, Shri Devendra Fadnavis on January 8, 2025.

In 2003 the BMC set up a public trust to manage and promote the Museum through a pioneering public-private partnership. At the same time, the Museum building and collections underwent a comprehensive, UNESCO-Award winning restoration, that was spearheaded by the Museum Director, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta and supported by the BMC and the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation. It opened to the public in 2008, and has pioneered the promotion of contemporary art and design which is presented in the extraordinary 19th- century building, one of the finest in India, in an attempt to rethink obsolete notions and challenge colonial and European enlightenment precepts.

The Museum was built to showcase the city’s modern art and craftsmanship of the 19th and early 20th centuries through a rare collection of fine and decorative arts of India. It has an extraordinary documentation through small sculptural figurines of life in the 19th century especially showcasing the erstwhile Bombay Presidency. It also has a unique rare book collection.

The Museum’s robust exhibition and outreach programme invites artists and experts to engage with the collections and archives to bring new readings to both. Over 85 exhibitions have been presented, over the past 15 years. These include collaborations with both local and international institutions and organisations. Past exhibitions have showcased creative practices in contemporary art and design, crafts and textiles, architecture, urbanism, and film and video art. In December of 2012, the Museum introduced a dynamic cultural hub, the Museum Plaza, which offers the public a recreational space for performances, outdoor activities, and workshops. The Museum has restored and re-appropriated abandoned spaces to accommodate a Special Projects Space, Museum Cafe, Museum Shop and an Education Centre.

To mark its 150th anniversary in 2022, the Museum brought out a book titled ‘Mumbai: A City Through Objects, 101 Stories from the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum’, edited by the Director, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta. The book was co-published with Harper Design, Harper Collins’ new design imprint, and has won several awards. The Museum has embarked on an ambitious expansion plan, supported by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and private donors, which includes developing a new wing adjoining the Museum Plaza. Facilities will include a Mumbai Modern Gallery, a state of the art Special Exhibitions Gallery to host national and international exhibitions, an auditorium, a learning centre, expanded library and archives, a conservation centre, staff and visitor amenities like cafes and shops.