Apr 27 - Aug 17, 2025
Kamalnayan Bajaj Special Exhibitions Gallery
The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum is pleased to present Eckart Muthesius and Manik Bagh - Pioneering Modernism in India in collaboration with the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin (Asian Art Museum) and the German Consulate General Mumbai.
It was the friendship between Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar II of Indore and his wife, Maharani Sanyogita, with the Berlin architect Eckart Muthesius that resulted in India’s earliest icon of modernity: the palace of Manik Bagh in Indore. The exhibition tells the fascinating story of this fruitful dialogue between India and Germany in the field of design and architecture in the early 1930s. On view are a selection of rare vintage photographs by Eckart Muthesius, Emil Leitner and Man Ray, complemented by little-known watercolours, drawings and design studies by Muthesius.
The exhibition provides an opportunity to explore not only the extraordinary design of the palace in its various materials and manifestations, but also the influence of the International Style on a young and emerging nation and its premier city, Bombay (now Mumbai), which stood at the forefront of the development of Modernism in India.
The publication brings together a selection of rare vintage photographs by Eckart Muthesius, Emil Leitner and Man Ray, complemented by little-known watercolours, drawings and design studies by Muthesius. These are accompanied by scholarly essays by Raffael Dedo Gadebusch and Prahlad Bubbar.
Publisher : Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin (30 September 2024)
Language : English
Hardcover : 160 pages
Available for purchase at the Museum Shop.
with Rupali Gupte and Prasad Shetty, architects, artists & urbanists.
Sat, 09 Aug 2025, 3 - 6 pm
The workshop invites you to explore the hidden sides of how spaces come to be. We will look at some aspects of design and form that go beyond pure reason and include what some might call the irrational or even a touch of madness.
Ages 18 and above
with Fiona Fernandez, senior journalist and author
Fri, 15 Aug 2025, 4 - 5 pm
Slip into quizzer mode with this fun, fact-filled quiz about one of India’s most amazing palaces and win exciting prizes! No preparation needed.
Open to all age groups
Manik Bagh palace, India’s earliest icon of modernism and cross-cultural design, merges architecture, art, design, and crafts into a harmonious entity – a Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art).
Join us for a walkthrough of the exhibition, followed by a workshop where we reimagine spaces by cutting, layering, and remixing found images, paper cutouts, or personal photographs, and construct visual storyboards using the materials provided through playful experiments with perspective, scale, and texture.
with Sunday Bricks
Sat, 28 June 2025, 10:30 am & 12:00 pm
Manik Bagh’s innovative interiors and custom-designed furniture by leading international artists and designers, introduced a new design sensibility to India. The workshop, in collaboration with Sunday Bricks, takes inspiration from this 'fairytale palace', inviting participants to explore furniture-making using LEGO
Ages 8 & above (Adults are welcome to join!)
with STEAM Academy
Did you know that the Manik Bagh Palace, built in the early 1930s, was one of the first buildings in India to feature an air conditioning system?
Discover how a visionary Indian Maharaja and a German engineer came together to bring this revolutionary cooling technology to Indore.
Join us for an online session as we dive into the science of heat transfer, explore the chemistry of refrigerants, and uncover the incredible story of innovation, and the cool science that still shapes our lives today.
with STEAM Academy
The ‘fairy tale palace’ of Manik Bagh in Indore, built in the 1930s, introduced an innovative and forward-thinking approach to design, incorporating new materials and cutting-edge construction techniques.
Join us for an online session as we explore the innovative materials that defined this architectural gem, including metals, alloys, tinted glass, reinforced concrete and tubular steel, and uncover the science behind how these materials revolutionised modern architecture and design.
The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai City Museum seeks to serve the community as an Institution dedicated to excellence in cultural education through exhibitions and unique visual and intellectual media
An Institution of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. Supported by the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation. Restored by INTACH, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum
Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo (Rani Baug),
91/A, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road,
Byculla East Mumbai 400027 India
T: +91 22 23741234
10:00 am - 5:30 pm
Closed on all Wednesdays and select public holidays.
