"Every tile tells a story":
At Vitrum, plates, tiles and tabletops were more than objects—they were experiments. Powdered pigments met a hot kiln; modern Indian motifs met everyday use. Tap a piece to see the maker, date, and its journey from studio table to someone’s home.
A Studio, A City, Countless Legacies
Our History
Ceramics, mosaics, and a Bombay experiment
Founded in mid-20th-century Bombay by Polish refugees Simon and Hanna Lifschutz, Vitrum began as a pioneering ceramic-and-mosaic studio and quickly became a launchpad for generations of Indian artists.
After relocating to Bombay in the late 1940s, Simon established the Vitrum factory in Vikhroli; from it grew Vitrum Studio in 1954 on the ground floor of Rutton Villa, 143-B Cumballa Hill Road.
Past Events
A Glazed History: Badri Narayan & The Vitrum Studio
Jehangir Nicholson Gallery, CSMVS
A Glazed History: Badri Narayan and the Vitrum Studio was a landmark exhibition that brought the story of the pioneering Vitrum Studio back into public view for the first time since its closure in the 1970s. Curated by Puja Vaish of JNAF, the exhibition presented over 75 previously unseen works – hand-painted ceramic tiles, plates, and mosaic pieces – from our collection, alongside rare loans from private collectors, families, and public institutions.
The show traced the studio’s influence on the artistic journeys of those who worked there – highlighting how the skills they acquired at Vitrum shaped their practice for decades to come – while also celebrating its enduring presence in the city itself. From glass mosaics to large-scale murals, the exhibition spotlighted Vitrum’s public art and its imprint on Bombay’s cultural and architectural landscape.
Event photography courtesy Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation (JNAF), CSMVS Mumbai.
