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Take a look at current art throbs
Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna establish their credentials as serious dealers with their second gallery in New Delhi.
The desire to make an investment in something that gives joy and aesthetic pleasure is what makes art one of the most sought after investment avenues. More and more art lovers are now considering stepping up their hobby a bit, with an eye on economic as well as aesthetic value.
The surge in interest has been pushing up prices of art at a phenomenal rate. Such tremendous growth in art collecting and dealing today has brought an increasing fascination with the art market and the way it works. Collectors vary from young enthusiast to the deep pocket connoisseur who pays lakhs for a work by a great master like Husain. There are more people collecting art now than at any other period in history, and they are collecting from a wider spectrum of artists and media.
India, too, is witnessing frenzied activity on the art front. Recently, fashion designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna unveiled their second art gallery, Palette Art Gallery, in the heart of the New Delhi with an exhibition of works of some of the most promising names in contemporary Indian art. Prominent among the artists included in the exhibition were A. Balasubramaniam, Anju Dodiya, Bose Krishnamachari, Chandra Bhattacharjee, Jagdish Chander, Jitish Kallat, Riyas Komu, Shibu Natesan, Surendran Nair and T.V. Santosh. The gallery, big on Zen minimalism, serves as a befitting background to the exhibits mounted on the pristine white walls. The monotony of the linear lines is broken beautifully by two spacious courtyards and the natural light from the roof does wonders to the whole ambience.
It wasn't too long ago when both these designers decided to take up their hobby seriously. We were always interested in art but it was only six years ago that we started reading and researching art and seriously forayed into it. We started off with our first gallery at Ambavatta, says Rohit Gandhi.
What makes Indian art so special? For one, the quality is of very high standards and second, Indian art is very affordable. One would be surprised to know that art work in even countries like Sri Lanka is dearer than contemporary Indian art. On the other hand, Indian art's not only cheaper but also of very good quality. Demand for Indian art has been on the rise, thanks to interest evinced by NRIs and re sponse at major auction houses like Southeby's and Christie's, says Gandhi.
Riding on the boom like phenomenon, the guys, who have been dressing beautiful people, see art as a serious investment option.
They not only deal with art but also advise clients on buying art. Ask Gandhi whose work would he advise on investing in and he rattles off, Among the senior artists, one can't go wrong with M.F. Husain, Jogen Chowdhury, Tyab Mehta S.H. Reza, J.S. Swaminathan, Arpita Singh and Akbar Padamsee. Then Atul Dodiya, Sundaram Nair and Chitravanu Mazumdar are a good buy. Among the younger affordable artists, one can confidently buy Riyaz Komo, P.V. Santosh and A. Balasubramaniam, says Gandhi.
Their confidence, understandably, stems from the initial sales of art pieces at Palette. Clearly, as portfolios plummet, uncertainty increases and paper wealth vanishes overnight, more and more investors would prefer to go for assets they can touch and hang on their walls. Like a fine diamond, this one gives its owner the pleasure and the added security that its value won't soar or crash with the stock market.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SUNDAY, MARCH 14, 2004 12:10:52 AM]
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