Established in 1996, the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai is administered by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India and is housed in the historic Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall. Before the building was converted into a museum, it was a popular cultural centre in the city. Donated by the philanthropist and industrialist, Sir Cowasji Jehangir to the city of Mumbai in 1911, the building was designed by the Scottish architect George Wittet. Its auditorium was a pivotal organising space for rallies by the leaders of the national independence movement such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohammed Ali Jinnah. It had also hosted musicians such as Yehudi Menuhin and Paul Robeson, meetings for the Parsi panchayat and exhibitions of the Bombay Art Society.

With the eventual construction of newer buildings and public halls in Mumbai, the structure had fallen to neglect. A group of concerned artists and patrons, led by the sculptor Piloo Pochkhanawala and the gallerist and patron Kekoo Gandhy, protested against its deterioration which led to its twelve year-long renovation under the care of the architect Romy Khosla. Opened in 1996, the gallery was newly equipped with five exhibition galleries, a library, a lecture hall, cafeteria and office and storage space.

The gallery has a vast collection of over 14,000 modern and contemporary artworks and includes artists such as Thomas and William Daniells, Raja Ravi Varma, Abanindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Amrita Sher-Gil, the members of the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group: FN Souza, KH Ara, SH Raza and MF Husain, as well as KG Subramanyan, Sudhir Patwardhan, Nalini Malani, Atul Dodiya and Sudarshan Reddy.

The gallery is located in Kala Ghoda, the historical arts district of Mumbai, and is open to the public from Tuesdays to Sundays.