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How portraits of its people tell the story of Mumbai

Spanning centuries and communities, an exhibition by DAG draws on portraiture to reflect the evolving identity of Mumbai and its people

4 min readNew DelhiJan 9, 2026 06:55 PM IST

An old man, Untitled (Portrait of a Parsi Lady), Untitled (Maharaja of Kolhapur)

The portrait of the city can also be the portrait of the people who inhabit it. Anchored in this idea, the exhibition ‘Face to Face: A Portrait of a City’, presented by DAG, looks at Mumbai through the lives and communities that shape it. “Across cultures and centuries, portraits have served as record, testament, tribute and now, as tools for reflection. They have honoured rulers, chronicled empires, captured everyday life and preserved the individuality of the human race. In Bombay, a city shaped by empire, migration and commerce, portraiture becomes a powerful lens through which to view the many communities and individuals key to its evolving identity,” states Ashish Anand, CEO and Managing Director, DAG.

Bal Gandharva

On view at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel till January 11, the exhibition showcases portraits of individuals and communities who shaped Mumbai’s political, cultural and civic life, while also situating the city within a broader global history. The development of the genre is documented through the key moments, beginning with the introduction of academic realism through colonial institutions, to the experimental approaches of India’s modernists. With the establishment of art schools such as Sir JJ School of Art, European techniques of naturalistic representation gained prominence, influencing both local patronage and artistic practice. So among the significant works in the exhibition is the royal portrait painter in England, Frank Brooks’ 1892 portrait of Jaswatsingji Fatesingji, Thakor Saheb of Limri (Limbdi), which is influenced by academic realism alongside Indian courtly visual codes, “offering insight into early colonial representations of regional power”. While Brooks also briefly taught Raja Varma, brother of Raja Ravi Varma, the artistic language adopted by him and other western artists in India influenced others as well. “Western painters such as Frank Brooks produced portraits of local royalty, articulating early visual codes for power and prestige. Indian artists trained in these schools —- MV Dhurandhar, MF Pithawalla and DC Joglekar — adopted and transformed this language,” notes Anand.

Self-Portrait of artist S L Haldankar

The highlights include artist VB Pathare’s portrait of Dr BR Ambedkar in a suit, MK Paradekar’s portrait of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak with his red turban, and MV Dhurandhar’s portrait of Bal Gandharva, influential Marathi singer and actor. “As portraiture expanded beyond nobility, the city’s cultural and social rhythms surfaced in these images. Portraits of regional royalty sit alongside depictions of Bombay’s lay communities, where attire, bearing and self-presentation signal profession, aspiration and belonging,” adds Anand.

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Portrait of H.H. Meherban Shrimant Rajamanya Rajashri Sir Pirajirao Jaisinhrao Ghatke

The city’s significant and influential Parsi community is also highlighted in the exhibition. Among others is a portrait of Sir Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy, India’s first baronet and an important philanthropist, in traditional Parsi attire, wearing the black pagdi or pheta. “Portraiture, thus, becomes more than representation; it becomes a way of reading history. Each face is an entry point into the social, political and cultural worlds of its time. Bombay—restless, layered, plural—finds its reflections in these portraits: rulers and reformers, communities and individuals, the known and the unknown. Together, they form a collective memory of a city and its people,” adds Anand.

Vandana Kalra

Vandana Kalra is an art critic and Deputy Associate Editor with The Indian Express. She has spent more than two decades chronicling arts, culture and everyday life, with modern and contemporary art at the heart of her practice. With a sustained engagement in the arts and a deep understanding of India’s cultural ecosystem, she is regarded as a distinctive and authoritative voice in contemporary art journalism in India. Vandana Kalra's career has unfolded in step with the shifting contours of India’s cultural landscape, from the rise of the Indian art market to the growing prominence of global biennales and fairs. Closely tracking its ebbs and surges, she reports from studios, galleries, museums and exhibition spaces and has covered major Indian and international art fairs, museum exhibitions and biennales, including the Venice Biennale, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Documenta, Islamic Arts Biennale. She has also been invited to cover landmark moments in modern Indian art, including SH Raza’s exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the opening of the MF Husain Museum in Doha, reflecting her long engagement with the legacies of India’s modern masters. Alongside her writing, she applies a keen editorial sensibility, shaping and editing art and cultural coverage into informed, cohesive narratives. Through incisive features, interviews and critical reviews, she brings clarity to complex artistic conversations, foregrounding questions of process, patronage, craft, identity and cultural memory. The Global Art Circuit: She provides extensive coverage of major events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Serendipity Arts Festival, and high-profile international auctions. Artist Spotlights: She writes in-depth features on modern masters (like M.F. Husain) and contemporary performance artists (like Marina Abramović). Art and Labor: A recurring theme in her writing is how art reflects the lives of the marginalized, including migrants, farmers, and labourers. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent portfolio is dominated by the coverage of the 2025 art season in India: 1. Kochi-Muziris Biennale & Serendipity Arts Festival "At Serendipity Arts Festival, a 'Shark Tank' of sorts for art and crafts startups" (Dec 20, 2025): On how a new incubator is helping artisans pitch products to investors. "Artist Birender Yadav's work gives voice to the migrant self" (Dec 17, 2025): A profile of an artist whose decade-long practice focuses on brick kiln workers. "At Kochi-Muziris Biennale, a farmer’s son from Patiala uses his art to draw attention to Delhi’s polluted air" (Dec 16, 2025). "Kochi Biennale showstopper Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art" (Dec 7, 2025): An interview with the world-renowned artist on the power of reinvention. 2. M.F. Husain & Modernism "Inside the new MF Husain Museum in Qatar" (Nov 29, 2025): A three-part series on the opening of Lawh Wa Qalam in Doha, exploring how a 2008 sketch became the architectural core of the museum. "Doha opens Lawh Wa Qalam: Celebrating the modernist's global legacy" (Nov 29, 2025). 3. Art Market & Records "Frida Kahlo sets record for the most expensive work by a female artist" (Nov 21, 2025): On Kahlo's canvas The Dream (The Bed) selling for $54.7 million. "All you need to know about Klimt’s canvas that is now the most expensive modern artwork" (Nov 19, 2025). "What’s special about a $12.1 million gold toilet?" (Nov 19, 2025): A quirky look at a flushable 18-karat gold artwork. 4. Art Education & History "Art as play: How process-driven activities are changing the way children learn art in India" (Nov 23, 2025). "A glimpse of Goa's layered history at Serendipity Arts Festival" (Dec 9, 2025): Exploring historical landmarks as venues for contemporary art. Signature Beats Vandana is known for her investigative approach to the art economy, having recently written about "Who funds the Kochi-Muziris Biennale?" (Dec 11, 2025), detailing the role of "Platinum Benefactors." She also explores the spiritual and geometric aspects of art, as seen in her retrospective on artist Akkitham Narayanan and the history of the Cholamandal Artists' Village (Nov 22, 2025). ... Read More