Timeless Mumbai: A Visual Journey Through Mumbai’s Heritage

A sumptuously produced walking tour through historic Mumbai in images and words, featuring the remarkable talents of artist Matt Rota.

As Khilen Shah states in his foreword to this remarkable book, modern architecture misses the soulfulness and artistry of the buildings and structures of earlier days, which is why it is all the more important to preserve what we have - in reality and in art. This book is an attempt to preserve in memory some impressions of Mumbai’s architectural beauty. It also seeks to correct the image of Mumbai in the minds of both outsiders and those who have lived there, encouraging them to think beyond the city’s slums.

The book is intended to showcase Mumbai as a city worth seeing and savoring. Artist Matt Rota brings a unique creative style to this endeavor, which perfectly blends the human and cultural element of the city with its architectural beauty. The result is a sumptuous production that would suit a library shelf or a coffee table, whether in India or abroad.

Khilen Shah runs Mumbai-based luxury real estate company 25 Residences. Timeless Mumbai is the result of his passion for his home city’s architectural legacy, which embraces fine examples of Art Deco, Victorian Neoclassicism, and fusions of local and colonial styles. A graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art and the School of Visual Arts, Matt Rota has worked with clients including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Pentagram, Harper’s, Penguin Books, the Transnational Institute, ProPublica, the LA Times, the International Center for Investigative Journalism, Foreign Policy, the Equal Justice Initiative, American Scholar, the Criterion Collection, the New Republic, and many others. Over the past 10 years, he has taught illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art and the School of Visual Arts. Matt has written two books on drawing, has an extensive exhibition career, and is on the board of the historic Artists Equity Association. His work is regularly included in the annuals of American Illustration and the Society of Illustrators. Matt Rota is represented by Maria Cardelli at Illustration Zone.