A brush with art

Like the phoenix, this too has risen from the ashes, not once, but thrice. Three's a lucky charm and gallery Art 17's finally opened its artistic doors to Chandigarh folks.

City8217;s canvas gets a masterstroke of class and taste at the newly-opened Gallery Art 17

Like the phoenix, this too has risen from the ashes, not once, but thrice. Three8217;s a lucky charm and gallery Art 178217;s finally opened its artistic doors to Chandigarh folks. 8220;I would define it as a natural progression to our profession8230;photography is a form of art,8221; Tej Bans Singh Jauhar sits back and takes a long look at his gallery housed at Tejee Studios in Sector 17, a dream, which has realised after years.

A connoisseur, Tej Bans rewinds to the year 1964 when he, along with his elder brother, had started the 8216;first of its kind art gallery in the region.8217; 8220;Adarsh Applied Arts and Advertising Agency,8221; nostalgia sweeps his face. But due to lack of awareness, the gallery ran into rough weather and had to be shut down. 8220;Guess it came much before its time.8221; What are priceless brands today were nameless struggling artists of that era. 8220;Nobody understood art, there was lack of exposure,8221; recalls Tej Bans. But Chandigarh8217;s come a long way since then. People have realised the importance of interiors and that there8217;s art beyond crystal-ware. In the meantime, Jauhar could never put out the fire in his belly. The gallery was given a second shot with Shiv Singh8217;s exhibition some seven-eight years back, but 8220;suddenly, space became expensive in Sector 17, and the dream died again.8221; Only to resurface, this time, for sure. And giving him a push is his son, Munish Jauhar, bringing the dream back to life. 8220;We8217;ve christened it as Art 17,8221; he smiles with pride, as Munish shows us around an impressive collection of art works from all over the country. 8220;Shobha Broota, T Waikuntam, K Laxma Goud, Ramesh Gorjala, Shiv Singh8230;8221; Munish goes through the available works, an A-list promising to paint the pale palette of the city with a riot of colour that spells class and taste. 8220;Our aim is to bring in emerging, up and coming Indian artists, and sensitise people about art,8221; Munish8217;s a votary for creating awareness on this invaluable asset. 8220;Art is increasingly turning into quite an investment,8221; he asserts, hinting at an exhibition before the year end. If you are looking for a collector8217;s item, or a specific piece of work, Art 17 can arrange that too. 8220;We can source it from personal collections, it all depends on how you traverse your network,8221; Munish, Founder CEO of Gray Cell Technologies, is enjoying this fine marriage of the internet, software and art. 8220;Another thing, we are not restricted to just paintings, there are photographs and sculptures too,8221; he chips in. 8220;The USP? Well, it8217;s a small gallery with a big reputation,8221; Tej Bans gives the masterstroke. For more, log on to art17.in.