A stroll amidst the masters

Mumbai has no space outside an art gallery where it is possible to saunter around with a drink in hand and view works of art. For the connoisseurs of Indian contemporary art, one such haven is now the lobby area (9 and 9M floor) of St Regis Mumbai. Fifteen artworks by Indian masters, among the 70 spread throughout the hotel, form part of the hotel's newly flagged The Caroline Astor Art Tour, a guided tour by a hotel staff – held twice a week for guests only and open to the public for viewing on all days. The set-up is curated by Tushar Sethi, the director of the Institute of Indian Contemporary Art and Gayatri Ruia, Director of Phoenix Mills.

Artworks on display include three paintings by SH Raza on his classic Tantric mysticism with the central bindu amid recurring geometric forms in warm and cool tones, Paresh Maity's gigantic four-headed horses on wheels inspired from his Bengali childhood involving Channapatna toys, Jogen Chowdhury's five portraits in his typical cross-hatch sketching technique, Manu Parikh's illuminated Benaras ghats, Satish Gujral's sand painting of a warrior and his horse with larger-than-life bodies to indicate power. Two recently acquired life-size sculptures – a Nataraja and a horse from Tanjore – have exquisite carvings. Additionally, there are two paintings by NS Bendre from Ruia's personal collection.

The highlight is a GR Iranna mural at the St. Regis Bar that mashes elements of Mumbai from the 1970s till now – late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and a tiger locked in a tight embrace, a tailor creating the traditional Tilak topis and his customers flaunting the rotund cap, the majestic facade of the once standing Phoenix Mills, monks salivating for a vada pav outside a roadside stall, and even Aamir Khan atop a donkey in his birthday suit reflecting the PK avatar.

The art installations are positioned along the lobby square while the paintings spread out on the adjacent walls, including those of the library and two bars.