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Though long-time
collectors include folks as diverse as Japanese tinned fish
mogul Masanori Fukuoka and Hollywood director Roland Emmerich,
Indian art is set to draw more fans as more eyes turn to the
Indian economy’s rising ascendance. Fukuoka holds the record
for the highest ever price paid for an Indian painting - US$317,500
for a Tyeb Mehta triptych at a Christie’s auction in New
York - and owns the largest collection of contemporary Indian
art in Asia. Unsurprisingly, he is regular visitor and on first
name basis with gallerists and artists such as Jogen Chowdhury.
Demand is also eclipsing supply. Buyers are all chasing the
few ‘masters’ of Indian art like M F Husain, F N Souza,
S H Raza, Jehangir Sabavala, Ram Kumar, KG Subramanyam, Krishen
Khanna, Akbar Padamsee and J Swaminathan. While Husain remains
prolific and perhaps one of the best known Indian artists the
world over with forays into film and corporatisation of his
art, work from the older and more established set of artists
is dwindling. |
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The art palette
is also changing. Many early artists drew from religious or
folk themes for inspiration and the bulk of Indian masters do
figurative work. Though artists can also be broadly classified
by their origins with distinct schools from Baroda to Bengal,
there have been middle of the road artists such as Gulam Muhammed
Sheikh or his wife Nilima who use Indian elements, while recent
entrants are doing more abstract or photo-realistic work accessible
to overseas buyers.
Saffronart can probably lay claim to singlehandedly raising
awareness of Indian art around the world with exhibitions of
top artists in New York and London and a transparent system
that appeals to many buyers. The renewed interest from Christie’s
and Sotheby’s and the biennale planned for 2006/2007 will
only raise the profile of Indian art further globally.
For those who want to start collecting, do note that auction
prices always include a premium. Since most major artists ally
themselves with a gallery, buying direct is almost impossible.
With fakes being a problem especially |
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with deceased artists – a recent Osian auction was said
to have featured a fake from Bhupen Khakhar – it becomes
imperative that the person on the other side is a trustworthy,
reputable authentification certificate.
If Mumbai is the place to be for auctions and established
galleries such as Sakshi, Delhi is the other gallery centre,
with Kolkata and Chennai lower in the pecking order. Unlike
other countries, funding problems at museums mean that acquisitions
and maintenance are lax. Although some of these hold a treasure
trove of earlier Indian art.
Besides, as Renu Khilnani of Bodhi Art says, “While auctions
are a good way to get a feel of the prominent names, they
do not offer an in-depth understanding of underlying trends.”
They can’t tell you who the upcoming artists are. Khilnani
for instance, places her bets on Atul Dodiya, Baiju Parthan,
Chitrovanu Mazumdar, Anju Dodiya, Natraj Sharma, Rameshwar
Broota and Jitish Kallat.
Prices for top artists from India have surpassed those of
top-range Southeast Asian artists. You’d better book
your ticket now.
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