A Husain for Your Birthday

According to Shah,such shows encourage buyers to take decisions themselves. “They don’t have to consult anyone,as in the case of high-priced art,” she says. These exhibits,however,aren’t restricted to conventional art pieces in drawing rooms. Some are customised to serve as gift items. Delhi-based art expert Alka Pande says,“Affordable art is very broad-based and art enthusiasts have to sift through a lot of decorative art to find art that will be part of the blue chip.” However,Pande,who is also a consultant,arts advisor and curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the Indian Habitat Centre,New Delhi,believes that the discerning eye can pick up a winner.

Geetha Mehra,director of Sakshi Gallery of Colaba,Mumbai,wishes to demystify the perception about art being elitist and expensive by bringing in the gallery-hopping culture. “We have limited-edition prints of renowned artists sold at attractive prices,” she says. Her gallery’s exhibition called “Easy Buy”,has a mix of artwork by well-known and obscure artists — starting from accessories and merchandise worth Rs 300 to limited prints of MF Husain’s works.

Affordable art,however,does not just benefit the buyers,it also serves as an avenue for the lesser-known,new artists. In fact,Sunaina Anand,director of Emergingartists.in,believes that the “affordability” part is just incidental. “The focus is on promoting young,bright artists. The identification of talent,screening and the whole process of curating the work is important. There are shy,talented artists from rural India and small towns who need guidance and awareness of the market economics,” she explains. The website,in collaboration with Art Alive Gallery in New Delhi,showcases works of upcoming artists. Anand has a wide corporate clientèle who often buy paintings to gift their colleagues.

The bold and raw quality of young artists connects more easily with a young buyer’s instinct ,believes Steinruecke. However,not every one in the Indian art world is charmed by “affordable art”.According to Bose Krishnamachari,veteran Mumbai-based artist,this is a misleading term that tags itself to “mediocre” work. “If you are a serious art lover,you would buy whatever you like,even in instalments,” he says. For art critic Sadanand Menon,it’s merely a marketing instrument by the “corporatised art galleries”.