Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum | Issue 3 @ IIMA Archives

HERITAGE NETWORKS

Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum

"The colonial style mansion of the museum was built in 1905 by Sheth Lalbhai Dalpatbhai, one of the pioneers of the textile industry in Ahmedabad, as his residence."

***Exterior view of the Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum. Photograph by Rajesh Vora.***

Set amongst tall trees and lush gardens, the Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum complex was inaugurated in 2017. It was developed through the vision and under the guidance of Ms. Jayshree Lalbhai and Mr. Sanjay Lalbhai, the current trustees/owners of the museum. The premises consist of two buildings that have been painstakingly restored by renowned architects Rahul Mehrotra and Robert Stephens of RMA Architects, who also added a third newly constructed section--the 'Modern Gallery', a space for contemporary art exhibits.

View of the Introduction Room of the Museum with portraits of Shri Kasturbhai Lalbhai and
Smt. Tarlaben Lalbhai painted by Walter Langhammer. Photograph by Dinesh Mehta.

The colonial style mansion of the museum was built in 1905 by Sheth Lalbhai Dalpatbhai, one of the pioneers of the textile industry in Ahmedabad, as his residence. After he passed away in 1912 his second son Kasturbhai Lalbhai continued to reside in the house and manage the family business along with his brothers Chimanbhai and Narottambhai. Together, they established a chemical and dye stuff township complex Atul Products (1952), and seven textile mills, amongst which was the Arvind Mills (1931) which became India's largest denim manufacturer and the world's fourth largest producer and exporter of denim. The house 'Lalbaug' remained the hub of family gatherings and also a place where several dignitaries like Vallabhbhai Patel, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prime Ministers, Governors and many others, were hosted.

The main building of the museum showcases two thousand years of Indian art, through objects collected by a line of distinguished connoisseurs. Its nucleus is the art collection of the Tagore family of Bengal, which was the best and most comprehensive collection of Indian art in Calcutta at the time. It was subsequently acquired by Shri Kasturbhai Lalbhai in the 1940s. Kasturbhai invited the noted scholar Dr. Pramod Chandra to document and study it in the 1960s.

The selection on display, co-curated and designed by 'Eka Archiving Services Pvt. Ltd.' and the 'National Institute of Design', with the conservation work done by S. Girikumar, reflects the eclectic nature of the collection. It seeks to balance art historical merit with personal favourites while retaining the essence of the family home. It is complemented by Atelier Dada's lighting design which adds to the subtlety of the display. The art on view ranges from paintings created in the Persian, Mughal, Deccani, Pahari and Rajasthani schools to Tibetan Thangkas to modernist paintings from the Bengal School and art in stone, metal, wood, as well as Bidri work, that cover a span of more than one thousand years. Some of the most noteworthy artworks include the 16th century Khamsa of Nizami, the 18th century Basohli painting of the Devi and the pre-independence painted postcards sent from students to their teachers in Calcutta and Santiniketan which capture the creative spirit of a nation coming into its own.

View of the Indigo artworks inside the Glass Gallery (built by RMA Architects),
a part of the ongoing Indigo Exhibition at the museum. Photograph by Dinesh Mehta.

In the adjacent building, the Claude Batley house, built in the 1930s, space has been created to house temporary exhibitions, retrospectives of artists and displays of works by young artists. Leaving the beauty of the older building untouched and unmarred, a glass gallery, unique and distinctive, has been added to create extra display space. The museum is currently housing the exhibition 'Alchemy: Explorations in Indigo' where one can see works of art by notable contemporary artists and designers such as Alwar Balasubramaniam, Asif Shaikh, Annie Morris, Paresh Patel, Shihoko Fukumoto, Tarun Tahiliani, Vyom Mehta, Aboubakr Fofana, Idris Khan, and many others. This exhibition is a precursor to the upcoming Arvind Indigo Museum which looks into the history, significance and techniques of natural indigo in different cultures and also explores the possibilities of experimenting with natural indigo on diverse materials and visual languages.

Currently, the heritage section is shown only via a pre-booked guided tour four times a day - 10 am, 12 noon, 2.30 pm and 4 pm. Visitors can call at 079-22865456/ 079-22866376 (10 am-5 pm) or send an email to klmuseum16@gmail.com a few days prior to their visit. Photography is not allowed.

View of indigo artworks by Alwar Balasubramaniam,
a part of the ongoing Indigo Exhibition at the museum. Photograph by Rashesh Jhaveri.

The Indigo Exhibition remains open from 10 am-5 pm. No prior booking is required to view this section. Visitors can walk in any time without booking. Photography is allowed in this section.

Visits to the museum are free of cost. The museum is closed on Mondays. The complex also has a small amphitheater with a seating capacity of 250 that can host small performances, musical soirees, talks and discourses.

Thus with different and changing events being planned through the year, the Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum hopes to create a dynamic and vibrant atmosphere to draw people for a cultural treat.