Dhoomimal Gallery

Dhoomimal Gallery India's Oldest Art Gallery . Est.1936 Established in 1936 by Sh. Since then the gallery has acquired an all India focus . It is something that will grow on you.
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Ram Babu Jain, the gallery made its beginnings by displaying the works of well-known painters of yester years likes late Sailoz Mukherjea and Jamini Roy. The gallery soon became a hub for contemporary art as well as a meeting place for the capital's artists. After the untimely demise of Shri Ram Chand Jain, the leadership of the gallery passed in to the hands of his son Shri Ravi Jain who had just

returned from America where he was involved with Indian art. The gallery under his leadership was rejuvenated and in the 70's, the gallery entered its most active and glorious phase, by coming in close proximity and having regular exhibition of artists such as M.F.Hussain, J.Swaminathan, Shanti Dave, F.N.Souza, H.A.Gasde, Krishen Khanna among a host of others. Dhoomimal Gallery boasts of having the finest collection of F.N.Souza who was one of the closest artists associated with the gallery for close to five decades. Mr Ravi Jain and J.Swaminathan were considered as one of the best artist-dealer team and played, arguably the most influential role in making Indian contemporary art popular on a country wide basis. Even today the Dhoomimal Collection has the best private collection of art works of stalwarts such as F.N.Souza, J.Swaminathan, H.A.Gade, Bimal Das Gupta, Jamini Roy, Sailoz Mookherjea, Anjolie Ela Menon, Krishen Khanna among many others. The gallery today under the leadership of Mr Uday Jain and his mother Ms Uma Jain is forbearer of the fast growth of the Indian art market not only in India but globally too. Under the banner of "Ravi Jain Memorial Trust" the gallery continues to promote art and artists including offering scholarships to the young and upcoming artists. Many of these young artists such as Hemraj, G.R.Iranna, Somnath Singh, M.S.C.Satya Sai are today big names in the contemporary art world. We at Dhoomimal aim at promoting Indian art as a whole than merely selling paintings. Though art is seen more as an investment our suggestion is that buy what is a good investment but more importantly buy something that you like. A painting is something that you would look at everyday of your life in your house. We welcome all art enthusiasts to visit us at the gallery and share your opinions and experiences with us.

21/06/2026

98 years since the birth of an icon. Today, we honour the life, vision, and rebellious spirit of Jagdish Swaminathan (1928–1994).

An artist, poet, and tireless intellectual. From his seminal work with the Group 1890 to his visionary leadership at Bharat Bhawan, he fought to dissolve the hierarchy between “high art” and the indigenous traditions of India’s tribal communities. 

In this rare archival footage from Doordarshan’s Kala Parikarma, today this piece is housed at the Dhoomimal Estate.

In memory of a true visionary who believed art ‘vanquishes time.’

A surface alive with rhythm, memory, and movement, Hem Raj’s Eternal Reminiscence 2.0 invites the viewer into a meditati...
08/06/2026

A surface alive with rhythm, memory, and movement, Hem Raj’s Eternal Reminiscence 2.0 invites the viewer into a meditative landscape where fleeting moments dissolve into something timeless.

In these works, abstraction transforms into remembrance, not of a place or moment, but of an enduring inner essence that remains unchanged despite the shifting worlds around us.

Artwork detail:

Page 2:

| Eternal Reminiscence 2.0 | 30 |
Oil on canvas
60 x 60 in
2021

Page 3:

| Eternal Reminiscence 2.0 | 15 |
Oil on canvas
72 x 72 in
2022

Page 4:

| Eternal Reminiscence 2.0 | 20 |
Oil on canvas
72 x 72 in
2022

Page 5:

| Eternal Reminiscence 2.0 | 02 |
Oil on canvas
39.5 x 39.5 in
2023

Layered with luminous yellows, fractured textures, and unconscious figuration, this work of A.P. Santhanaraj reflects th...
30/05/2026

Layered with luminous yellows, fractured textures, and unconscious figuration, this work of A.P. Santhanaraj reflects the artist’s deeply intuitive approach to abstraction. 

The delicate female presence emerges almost incidentally, suspended within a landscape of rhythm, colour, and free-flowing form.

A master of abstraction and one of the defining voices of the Madras Art Movement, Santhanaraj created compositions that continue to feel both spontaneous and timeless.

Artwork Details:

Untitled, 2006
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 42 inches


From instinctive free-flowing lines to fragmented spatial forms, Santhanaraj approached abstraction as an act of discove...
30/05/2026

From instinctive free-flowing lines to fragmented spatial forms, Santhanaraj approached abstraction as an act of discovery rather than construction. 

His process allowed figures, emotions, and movement to emerge organically through rhythm, chance, and intuition.

Here, we trace the elements that made his practice so distinctive, spontaneous line work, unconscious figuration, and a deeply personal approach to abstraction that continues to influence Indian modern art today.

Artwork details:

Page 1:

Untitled, 2006
Acrylic on canvas
39.5 x 29 inches

Page 2:

Untitled
Coloured pen on paper
9 x 6 inches

Page 3:

Untitled, 1974
Gouache and ink on paper
16 x 20 inches

Page 4:

Untitled, 1994
Ink on paper
15.5 x 14 inches

Page 5:

Untitled, 2005
Acrylic on canvas
34 x 46 inches

28/05/2026

Escape is not always a distant destination, but a state we carve out for ourselves. 

And that is what Nayanaa Kanodia is aiming to communicate through her artwork, The Perfect Holiday.

Set against the familiar silhouette of the city, her protagonist retreats into a carefully composed solitude, reclining, unbothered, attended to, yet entirely alone.

True to Kanodia’s practice, the scene is both charming and incisive. Beneath its vivid palette and idyllic calm lies a subtle reflection on urban life, privilege, and the quiet yearning to reclaim time.

On view as part of Staged Realities at Dhoomimal Gallery, this work invites us to reconsider what it truly means to get away.

The exhibition is open at Dhoomimal Gallery until 30th May, 2026.

A symphony of colour and form, A. P. Santhanaraj’s bold yet graceful composition speaks in a visual language entirely hi...
28/05/2026

A symphony of colour and form, A. P. Santhanaraj’s bold yet graceful composition speaks in a visual language entirely his own. 

Deeply rooted in the exploration of line and colour, his practice drew inspiration from Indian abstraction, expressed through an enveloping blue, vivid yellows, blush pinks, and bold shades that pulse against one another with electric vitality.

The female figure at the heart of the canvas brings rhythm and grace to the composition, her form rendered with the character Santhanaraj was so beloved for. 

This is a rare work that reminds us how colour, when wielded with intention, manifests feelings.

Artwork Details: 

Untitled, 2005
Acrylic on canvas
34 x 46 inches

The Last Supper is perhaps a passage every artist journeys through at some point. First painted in the 15th century by L...
25/05/2026

The Last Supper is perhaps a passage every artist journeys through at some point. 

First painted in the 15th century by Leonardo da Vinci, it remains one of the most discussed and revisited works in art history.

In her own inimitable way, Nayanaa Kanodia reimagines this iconic scene with the lens of her naïve aesthetic. There’s also a subtle nod to Jamini Roy’s interpretation, which creates a dialogue across time, influences, and artistic inheritances.

You can explore more of her work at Staged Realities, on view at Dhoomimal Gallery till 30th May.

Artwork details:
The Last Supper, 2006
Oil on canvas
36 x 48 in

24/05/2026

Caption: On the death anniversary of A. P. Santhanaraj, we revisit an artist who never treated art as something to be controlled, but something to be discovered.

Through instinctive lines, luminous colour palettes, and compositions where abstraction and figuration moved together effortlessly, Santhanaraj built a visual language that was entirely his own.

Rooted in the spirit of Southern India yet radically experimental in form, his works continue to shape how generations of artists understand rhythm, spontaneity, and movement on canvas.

A pioneer of Naïve Art in India, Nayanaa Kanodia has spent over four decades quietly documenting the many lives of Mumba...
23/05/2026

A pioneer of Naïve Art in India, Nayanaa Kanodia has spent over four decades quietly documenting the many lives of Mumbai, its streets and salons, labour and leisure, realities and illusions.

In Rambharose Istriwala, Nayanaa Kanodia turns her gaze to the unseen backbone of the city, the men whose craft sustains the fabric of urban life, quite literally.

There is no spectacle here. Yet, within this simplicity lies Kanodia’s enduring sensitivity, an ability to elevate the everyday without romanticising it.

Her naïve aesthetic lends warmth, while her keen observation reveals the layered realities of labour, class, and interdependence.

On view as part of Staged Realities at Dhoomimal Gallery, this work forms part of Kanodia’s expansive visual ethnography of Mumbai, documenting the city and its populace.

You can explore more of her legendary pieces at Staged Realities, on view at Dhoomimal Gallery till 30th May.

Artwork details:
Ram Bharose Istriwala, 1994
Oil on canvas,
30 x 36 inches

20/05/2026

In Marilyn Monroe Enjoys the Outdoors, Nayanaa Kanodia gently reimagines the life of a woman forever seen, yet rarely at ease. 

Removed from the glare of scrutiny, Monroe steps into a lush, almost dreamlike landscape where watchful eyes give way to birdsong and much-needed calm in her chaotic life.

At the same time, the painting carries a subtle, urgent reminder: that these sanctuaries of calm, of nature, of balance, are ours to protect.

On view as part of Staged Realities at Dhoomimal Gallery, this work continues her delicate, incisive exploration of lives lived both in the spotlight and beyond it.

The exhibition is open at Dhoomimal Gallery until 30th May, 2026.

Address

G-42, Outer Circle, Connaught Circus
Delhi
110001

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 7pm
Tuesday 11am - 7pm
Wednesday 11am - 7pm
Thursday 11am - 7pm
Friday 11am - 7pm
Saturday 11am - 7pm

Telephone

+911141516056

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