VADODARA, July 25: Vadodara may be renowned for its art school, but caring for art is obviously not one of its strong points (See Express Newsline, July 22). The irony escapes no one, least of all its sizeable artist community. And while talking to some of its representatives, Express Newsline discovered a wealth of expertise that the authorities have not bothered to tap.Bhupen Khakhar, perhaps the most renowned of the city's artistic denizens, minces no words in castigating the condition of the museum's Old Masters.``They're extremely valuable and rare. But it's the same story in most of the country's museums. The State government must advertise its plans and look for restoration artists'', he says. ``Artists like me would be only too happy to attend camps and generate funds for the proper upkeep of museums and their wealth.''According to leading sculptor Nagji Patel, restoration of decaying artworks did not cost as much as authorities thought it did. ``Who says the country doesn't have restorers? I have a friend who got a Raja Ravi Varma restored for a throwaway price.``If the government wants to, it can go for a nationwide artwork-restoration plan. But it must rope in committed artists for the project.''Renowned artist Ghulam Shaikh, who is as well known as an art historian, says only a gross ignorance about the ``wealth of art'' can explain the damage to the artworks. ``Besides, the government authorities, who can do something about it, are often uninterested'', he says, adding that artists must come forward to help the government out in this venture.While admitting the scene at the Baroda Museum was depressing, renowned artist and art historian Ratan Parimoo and graphic artist V S Patel demand that the government demonstrate its ``sincere commitment'' to the project before asking artists to pool in their skill and finance. That is precisely where the government is falling short. ``I am aware of the infrastructural and intellectual inadequacies, but we are doing whatever is possible'', is all State Cultural Affairs Minister Mahendra Trivedi had to say.
