How a WW II Polish couple’s Kemps Corner studio introduced Mumbai artists to glass mosaics and painted ceramics

They introduced Mumbai’s artists to glass mosaics and painted ceramics, making a significant impact on the art and design scene in Mumbai then.

MUMBAI: During World War II (1939 to 1945), a number of Jews fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe found refuge in Bombay, and enriched the city’s culture and its arts. Musician Walter Kaufmann influenced Indian musicology, Austrian dancer Hilde Holger (later Boman-Behram) established the School of Art for Modern Movement in Fort and Rudolf von Leyden became a prominent art promoter, especially of the Ganjifa cards.

Mumbai, India - June 13, 2025:"A Glazed History" Badri Narayan & the Vitrum Studio, the story of painted tiles & glass mosaic at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, in Mumbai, India, on Friday, June 13, 2025. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

In this mix were Simon Lifschutz and his wife Hanna, a Polish-Jewish refugee couple who