India Calling

Come October and London will celebrate 400 years of art related to India. Titled India at Christie8217;s8217;, the festival will begin on Oct 5 with Visions of India8217; 8212; Raj nostalgia comprising works of artists during British rule from the 18th century to the 20th century 8212; followed by Twentieth Century Indian Art8217; showcasing works of artists like J Swaminathan, F N Souza, K K Hebbar, Ganesh Pyne, Anjolie Ela Menon and Atul Dodiya. quot;So Indian jewellery and Moghul carpets will be presented not as part of a worldwide collection, but with other 16th century to 20thcentury Indian artefacts.quot;

quot;In short, India at Christie8217;s will showcase works that have stood the test of time or those which are not easy to find. They have all been sourced widely with just 30 per cent coming from India.quot; As is the Christie8217;s representative. Dean studied Hinduism and Buddhism at the undergraduate level at Cambridge. With a dissertation in Indian temples and sculptures, he later studied Rajputana and Pahari miniatures at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. A self-confessed Indophile, Dean is enjoying every moment of Indian contemporary art8217;s moment in the sun.

quot;Several external factors 8212; including the increasing ease with which people travel worldwide these days 8212; have affected the art market. As a result, awareness of artistic styles has been witnessing gradual change for the last 50 years, and a rapid one for the last 15 years.quot; Few years ago, what sold as a one-off painting is today being translated into an Asia Week8217; in New York, China Trade Sale8217; and aThai/Vietnamese Week8217;. quot;Though, initially, it caused a sharp increase in values of works of art leading to a peak, it has now reached a plateau which is more realistic.quot; After this, he feels they will neither be devalued nor will the percentage increase8217; remain the same. quot;They might, on the contrary, catch a new wave and get released back to the market.quot;

These days though, Dean is stuck on installations. Naming Sudarshan Shetty8217;s work as his favourite, he rues the fact that the market has yet to give this art form its due importance. quot;Unfortunately, in terms of market, installations don8217;t have a standing. You just can8217;t have a rickshaw in the middle of the room. Though in New York flats are being designed around certain installation pieces, I am not aware of anything like that in India.quot;

For his tenure, Dean is planning more educational lectures like the one conducted by George Michell earlier this year, book launches like that of fashion designer Ritu Kumar8217;s on traditional costumes in January nextyear and more advisory sessions for clients. Dean would also love to hold wine tasting sessions with related lectures. quot;Till five years ago, I didn8217;t want to taste Indian wine. Today, vineyards here are producing high quality wines. This will be the fun side to a very academic profile we have.quot;