Collectors’ Edition

“We understand that the long-term requirement of the Indian art market is the creation of a solid collectors’ base across the country,” says Neha Kirpal,director,India Art Summit. “As a precursor to the summit,we will host collector outreach programme in Delhi,Mumbai,Bangalore,Hyderabad,Chennai and Kolkata. The format of the event will include an interactive session with an international contemporary art expert followed by sharing the highlights of what international art collectors can expect to see at the forthcoming art summit.” Of course,the talk will be over cocktails and the travel in AC buses.

They will be looking at young Indian entrepreneur-collectors with a good amount of purchasing power,those with an inclination to look at art as a long-term investment and not an overnight retail commodity. While one wonders if this exercise will create a new power clique in the art world,Kirpal points out that this is just meant to widen the collectors’ base and bring in new talent. Now,we have an art world order where only the powerful galleries get to promote their artists. But with the outreach programme,one might see a democratisation of the process,as a large number of players and stakeholders enter the fray. “We are not talking of just Delhi and Mumbai,but art from cities like Bangalore and Chennai,” assures Kirpal.

Currently it is mostly the owners of blue-chip companies who possess large,valuable collections of art. By ushering new entrepreneur-collectors,the summit hopes to create fresh pools of people interested in buying and looking at art. It will still not be a commodity for the masses,but it will be a wider cultural experience.