Art in Interiors

In the news...

Art galleries move out of the city

For the third time in its history, the shutters at “Ground Floor, 82, The Presidency, St Mark’s Road” were bolted down earlier this January, with Chennai’s Apparao Galleries, its last occupants, ceasing operations in the city..... 

Jaideep Sen's full article here http://timeoutbengaluru.net/art/features/market-death

Protest Art in China

Wrote this for the current issue of Art Etc.

Faced with demolition of art villages and severe governmental policies including clampdowns on freedom of speech, artists in China resort to activism in order to have their voices heard...

Read the full article here http://www.artnewsnviews.com/view-article.php?article=protest-art-in-china&iid=32&articleid=939

Art in Interiors

Art Buzz (Bangalore) Ananya Drishya

Investing in art

24 JUL, 2011, 10.11AM IST, NALINI S MALAVIYA,ET BUREAU

Investing in art needs some research

With reports in the media focusing primarily on the merits of investing in art and making it appear as an attractive option for all investors, it raises a lot of questions for investors who are attracted to art as a financial investment instrument. Art can undoubtedly give huge returns in the long term, but there are many layers to it, which may not be immediately evident to nouveau buyers, but are nevertheless present and hence require a healthy understanding of the workings of the art market.

It is important to consider various aspects related to investing in art for instance, the risks associated with it, its liquidity and also how it fares against other investment assets. It is inadvisable to consider art from a purely financial investment angle; after all, it is one of the few (such as antiques and collectibles) options which has a ‘decorative’ side to it. It would therefore be rather inappropriate and superfluous to override the aesthetics and visual content of art.

One should consider investing in art only after allocating funds to conventional assets such as stocks, real estate and gold. Also, consider art as a long-term proposition and keep in mind that it may take some time to sell it off when necessary.

Most people who have made a lot of money through art are those who bought works at low prices by artists who would have then gone on to establish themselves in a big way later on. However, it is important to realize that not every artwork will appreciate considerably in the future - prices are likely to increase with time corresponding with the artist’s career but not all will show a significant change or a dramatic graph. This implies that the element of risk is probably high when buying artworks priced in the lower bracket range. Art which is priced higher and is done by established artists is a safer option in terms of investment, but requires a larger outlay from your part. It is also essential that as a buyer or investor you have some knowledge of art and understand the dynamics of the market to an extent.

Art in Home Decor

1 MAY, 2011, 06.03AM IST, NALINI S MALAVIYA,ET BUREAU

Buying art as an investment option

Now that the recession is considered to be behind us, people are once again looking at various investment options. Real estate, gold and the stock markets are taking precedence as investment avenues. Many are investing in their dream homes and are willing to spend anything between Rs 50 lakhs to Rs 1.5 crores, while others are buying their second or even third houses. There are people keen on doing up their homes to the best of their ability and are willing to spend substantial amounts on the interiors. As part of this process, homeowners are increasingly considering original artworks as an essential element of decor.

It is noticed that in such cases the prime focus is on purchasing a work of art which fits in well with the space and the interiors, rather than be driven by a purely investment motive. Although, this is a positive trend and must be encouraged, what would work better is if the buyers choose art with a right amount of emphasis on aesthetics , and at the same time consider a few points, which can contribute towards building up an art portfolio in the long run.

While buying art, you can consciously opt for original artworks (instead of reproductions or prints) by emerging artists, students or established names depending on the budget available. Drawings, limited edition prints such as etchings or serigraphs, watercolours and photographs are some of the options which are priced lower than oils and acrylics on canvas . Canvas works by students and young artists are also likely to be more affordable in comparison to paper works by senior artists.

Most people tend to buy art according to specific colour themes or motifs in an effort to coordinate with the existing decor, but this may not always be the right approach to adopt. When buying, the emphasis should always be on the quality of the artwork, while keeping other aspects in mind.

Building an art collection

24 APR, 2011, 06.25AM IST, NALINI S MALAVIYA,ET BUREAU

An art collection can be a viable investment option

Building an art collection can be a rewarding experience, both aesthetically and as a viable investment option . It is important to realise that significant collections are not built overnight, but tend to evolve over a period of time. Very often, they are driven by the collector's tastes and preferences, especially in the initial stages. However, later on, they may evolve and get refined further due to a conscious effort.

One may decide to collect works from a certain period, school or region. He may decide to focus on one aspect or may opt to diversify and collect representative works that cover more elements. As a result, most art collections are highly indicative of the buyer's choices. This is especially true in the case of collections built by individuals .

A corporate art collection or one owned by a museum is likely to have a different approach altogether, more so in the case of the latter. Incidentally, there are a few banks, who own some of the finest art collections in the world. For corporates, hotels and institutions it makes a lot of sense to collect art as it can grow into something significant with time and become a source of joy and pride.

When storage becomes a problem most people prefer to build a separate space to display the works. And, it can be seen that when most individual collections evolve to an extent they may requires a s u b s t a n - tial amount of space and effort to house and display them. Very often, these spaces are then opened to public for viewing. In India, a large number of art collections are privatelyowned and many of them have been converted later on into museums that allow public access.
When collecting art, it is important to periodically review the artworks and see if some of them need to be sold off to either make space for new works or in order to build a more coherent compilation.

Collecting art

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

Most people who have enviable art collections are those who began collecting randomly and often just by chance. Most of them began collecting in the sixties and the seventies when collecting art was not in fashion and it definitely had not become a fad then. Buying art for the sake of financial investment was completely unheard of; nobody could imagine that one day these works of art would appreciate to the extent that they have.

These were then a few scattered individuals who bought art out of a passion for it and that too at very reasonable rates. It was not uncommon in those days to buy art for a few hundred rupees to a couple of thousand. Although, these amounts were considered to be exorbitant for those days, but when we look back, we can only marvel and feel nostalgic. Today it is unlikely that you could buy a work of art for anything less than Rs 10,000.

Collecting art is quite different from investing in art, although both can become synonymous with each other. The advantage with building an art collection is that one passionately buys only those pieces, which engages him or her, and over a period of time the collection can become quite significant and valuable both in terms of its monetary worth and its historical value. On the other hand, people who look at art purely from an investment angle tend to look at things very clinically, still it is quite possible that they too amass a significant body of work over a period of time if they retain it and not tried to sell artworks frequently.

As collectors believe in holding on to their works for longer durations, their collections grow much more as a financial investment even though that may not have been the primary objective. Most collectors are wealthy and have the capacity to tide through recessional times and they remain largely unaffected from the ups and downs of financial markets. This is a major advantage that they have, which normally other investors may lack and which is why it is important to consider art as an asset class only when one is diversifying their investment portfolio. On the whole, for those who can afford to, collecting art can be extremely rewarding in more ways than one.

(Abridged vn published in Financial Times)

Essential to understand markets while investing in art

13 MAR, 2011, 05.27AM IST, NALINI S MALAVIYA,ET BUREAU

For those who are looking at buying art, it is important to tread cautiously at this point in time and do a thorough background check before investing large sums of money in it. One does not want to repeat the same mistakes which were made prior to or during the boom phase. What is positive is that there is a lot of interest in art, and there are many collectors and buyers who would like to invest in art. Yet, there is a slight hesitance due to past experience , which may not have been pleasant.

One of the best ways to go about it is to empower yourself to be able to make the right judgment about artworks, artists and prices. Therefore, it only makes sense to learn more about how the art market functions, the factors that influence and affect prices, how to choose the right gallery to buy from and most importantly , how to ensure that what you are buying is at the fair market price.

One of the things that were very common a few years ago was the trend that prospective buyers, essentially young professionals with disposable income, would approach art galleries with a specific amount of say, Rs 5-10 lakhs and request them to suggest artists or to even create a portfolio. The drawback with such an idea is that although a gallery of repute would ensure that your money is invested safely with appropriate buyback options, flyby-night operators would be bound to take advantage of such an offer.

Today, it would be wiser to either approach established, reputed galleries or professionals, or to research as much as possible before buying. This way, the responsibility of decision-making is in your hands, which is not only prudent but also enhances your involvement in the whole process.

(Published in Financial Times)

Art Buzz (Bangalore) Yusuf Arakkal - book launch

Galerie Sara Arakkal cordially invites you to join us to celebrate the Launch of Books in Kannada & Malayalam on YUSUF ARAKKAL, authored by P.Surendran, Dr. R.H. Kulkarni, Nalini Malaviya and P. Sudhakaran on 6th February 2011 at 11.30 am at our Gallery.

DR. CHANDRASEKARA KAMBAR, Eminent litterateur has kindly consented to release the books and felicitate the authors.

Venue: Galerie Sara Arakkal, 156, 4th main, BEML Layout. Off ITPL Road, Bangalore 560 066 Telephone: 080 41162622.

Art Buzz (Bangalore) Irreverent Gene

Bhelpuri - a collection of short stories

It is time for some self promotion. Again. Some of my short stories have been published as part of the anthology, Bhelpuri - a diverse collection of stories crisp and crunchy, sweet and tangy, spicy and juicy ... just like that honest street food so essentially India. But, with a difference.


Bhelpuri is an offering from Inklinks ... a group of Bangalore women writers whose passion for word craft has brought them together. Some are young, some are senior, some are professionals, but they are all word-lovers. Joined by their common zeal for observing life and creating new people, new worlds. Each in her own individual style ....


Now available at Crossword, Residency Road, Bangalore.
Also at Sankars, Strand, Gangarams & DC Books, Bangalore.

Make sure you pick the original. Say NO to piracy.