This exhibition spotlights a collaboration that led to creation of Manik Bagh

A the same time as F Scott Fitzgerald unleashed The Great Gatsby upon the American reader a quiet revolution was occurring on the Eastern horizon ldquoIt was the perfect synthesis of art architecture design and ideas I would call them pioneersrdquo shares Raffael Dedo Gadebusch head and senior curator of the Museum fur Asiatische Kunst Berlin Gadebuschrsquos enthusiasm echoes across the gallery space we are in at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum that hosts the Eckart Muthesius and Manik Bagh mdash Pioneering Modernism in India The exhibition hosted in collaboration with Museum fuumlr Asiatische Kunst Berlin Asian Art Museum and the German Consulate General Mumbai offers a glimpse of this revolutionSenior curator Raffael Dedo Gadebusch helms the walkthroughldquoMumbai is the perfect place for a finale to this exhibition It was here in 1934 that Muthesius opened at the first exhibition of modernism showcasing his tubular steel furniturerdquo Gadebusch reveals In fact Muthesius might have also witnessed the opening of Regal Cinema in 1933 when he visited the cityEckart Muthesius seated and Ernst Messerschmidt during the construction of Manik Bagh Palace Pic CourtesyShubha amp Prahlad Bubbar CollectionBy then the architect was already at work on what remains his magnum opus Manik Bagh Palace mdash The first modernist building in South Asia if not all Asia Gadebusch emphasises Completed in 1933 for the Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar II and his young wife Maharani Sanyogita the building featured modern ideas in design and architecture such as electricallyoperated sheds thick tinted glasses to balance light innovative material from wall paints to sleek furniture designs by Eileen Gray Louis Sognot and Charlotte Alix among othersThe entrance hall at the Palace with Bernard Boutet de Monvels portrait of Yashwant Rao Holkar II Pic CourtesyTaimur Hassan CollectionIt was not all European either On cue Tasneem Zakaria Mehta curator of the Museum picks out a photograph that showcases the similarities in Muthesiusrsquo design to the Mughal gardens and ideas of its waterworks A moment from the film by HenriPierre RocheacuteThe exhibition is a veritable zeitgeist lived through photographs and canvas Gadebusch guides our attention to one photograph of Muthesius working quietly in the foreground with an assistant standing by ldquoThatrsquos Ernst Messerschmidt He worked on the walls and colours of the palacerdquo Messerschmidt would later work with Bhagwandas Morarji Kamdar who would pioneer furniture and interior design practices in 1930s BombayA photograph of Eckart Muthesius in the galleryIn some ways the exhibition feels like a glimpse of an artistic Algonquin round table Bernard Boutet de Monvel created portraits to celebrate the royal couple Man Ray and Emil Leitner would photograph them Constantin Bracircncui designed sculptures Ivan Da Silva Bruhns fashioned rugs with overlapping geometric styles that would later appear on floors across Art Deco buildings in MumbaiA portrait of Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar II by Bernard Boutet de Monvel Pic CourtesyWikimedia Commons right Man Rayrsquos iconic photograph of the Holkar coupleAs a bonus Gadebusch guides us to the final room showcasing a slapstick adventure film by HenriPierre Roche better known as the writer of Francois Truffautrsquos iconic Jules et Jim As we watch the slapstick adventure this writer is quickly reminded of a teenage movie that could be made at home ldquoIt was shot at Muthesiusrsquo family villa in Germanyrdquo comes the revelation It is no surprise that this was the era that also gave birth to Charles Chaplin and Hergersquos TintinWhile the exhibition will return to Berlin in August the curator hopes that he will be able to showcase it in the real Manik Bagh Palace in Indore one day ldquoPeople often talk of modernism arriving in India but it is important to remember this narrative too of a young Maharaja who offered patronage to German architects designers and industries through this enterpriserdquo Gadebusch sums it upTILL August 17 10 am to 530 pmAT Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum Veermata Jijabai Bhosle Udyan Byculla EastENTRY Museum tickets applicable atOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params