(By Nalini S Malaviya)
Prices of paintings and other forms of art range from a few thousand to lakhs of Rupees and even millions of dollars (at international auctions). As an investor it is important to know what are the factors that determine the price of an artwork. Art galleries play a significant role in fixing the price of an artwork especially for new artists. For the mid-level artists, the gallery and the artist work in tandem to fix the price.
Some of the guidelines that should be considered when determining the price are - years of experience of the artist, number of shows he's had, current market rates, demand, size, quality and medium of work. For instance, similar sized works but in different mediums (pencil drawing, watercolor or oil painting) by the same artist will vary accordingly.
According to an art gallery the primary factor is the quality of the work, or at least the future promise in the quality of the work. They elaborate, “other criteria for fixing a price for a young artist depends on how "fresh" he/she is on the scene. If the artist has been working for a couple of years without any major solo exposure, but if there is already a certain maturity in his work, we can look at a slightly higher pricing than his contemporaries. If he/she is absolutely new and we need to watch in what direction the artist is going, then we tend to keep prices very affordable in order to encourage art lovers/collectors to invest/spend on the work.”
Similarly for mid rung artists pricing depends on the quality of the work and how much it is evolving - is the artist getting better and a little experimental (trying new themes, approaches, while sustaining identity) or is he/she just forging ahead on an already successful style/ theme? Prices are raised accordingly.
In fact, the gallery has absolutely no say when it comes to senior and well-established artists. Interestingly, prices do not or rather should not vary drastically from one market to another. A painting by an Indian artist should cost approximately the same in London or US. Increased connectivity has ensured greater transparency in dealing. This is also a way to check out the credibility of the art dealer.
Published in Financial Times
20 May 2007
17 May 2007
15 May 2007
14 May 2007
Art Attack – What’s wrong with it?
By Nalini S Malaviya
Artists in Bangalore feel strongly about the arrest of art student Chandramohan in Vadodara. An incident, which is making headlines across the country, it is being criticized by the entire art community for its highhandedness and fundamentalist approach. Chandramohan, a final year student of Fine Arts at the MS University, Baroda was arrested on charges of obscenity, during the annual student evaluation where students present their projects. Coming close on the heels of the Husain controversy, most artists feel art is being targeted increasingly. Eminent Bangalore artist SG Vasudeva finds no justification for such an incident, "what is happening in Baroda is unimaginable. How could the Police enter the institution and arrest a student who was putting up his artwork for the sake of examination? It is unheard of! The action of the Vice Chancellor is equally shocking. Instead of protecting his student and the institution from the Police and from the ‘Moral policing persons’, he asks the student to apologize and sacks the Dean of Fine Arts Faculty for supporting the cause of student/s. The ‘Fundamentalists’ are taking the law into their own hands and or politicizing the Police and bring fear amongst the right thinking people.”
Artist Jasu Rawal from Vadodara now settled in Bangalore also feels police action against students is not healthy. He believes, “there should be an assessment of the intention behind such activities. Often jealousy or political motivation can be the moving factor behind such incidents. I have not seen the works, but if there is something, which needs to be criticized it should be discussed and debated in the right fora.”
Having studied at MS University, Ravikumar Kashi clarifies that all students’ present their artworks for internal assessment before a jury. Often, there are visitors who come in out of curiosity, but the intention is not to present this before outsiders. I have not seen the specific images but from what I have heard, it is along the lines of Tantric art, which has a long history in our country. Sculptures from Ajanta, Khajuraho and most temples are erotic in nature and this is not a concept new to us. In my opinion, we need to make them (fundamentalist) see things in the right context and at the same time we condemn this kind of policing. The silent protest planned to be held later in the day (6 pm MG Road) hopes to bring justice to Chandramohan. A letter addressed to the Governor of Gujarat is also being prepared.
Babu Eeshwar Prasad also feels that art is being targeted much more now than in the past. He says, “fundamentalists are using it to get mileage for themselves.” In fact, art has often been considered to be gimmicky and publicity oriented in the past, but now it seems to have become a ready prop for those looking for their two minutes of glory. Of late, many artists have drawn flak over their paintings and installations (remember last year’s show in Mumbai!), which has given rise to a lot of debate on the need for censorship. Vasudeva elaborates, “As a creative person I know my boundaries. No one needs to ‘censor’ my work. It is actually a fundamental freedom of expression that is being questioned. We should not allow ‘Talibanisation’ in our Country."
Although, the artist community is strongly against it, many people feel there is a need for moderation and sensitivity from the artists as well. I remember meeting a very senior artist from Mumbai who said that artists are not operating in a vacuum, they also have a social responsibility and they should be sensitive to the feelings of the viewers. The debate continues, but surely in a democracy, we can do without extremism
Watch this space for more…
Artists in Bangalore feel strongly about the arrest of art student Chandramohan in Vadodara. An incident, which is making headlines across the country, it is being criticized by the entire art community for its highhandedness and fundamentalist approach. Chandramohan, a final year student of Fine Arts at the MS University, Baroda was arrested on charges of obscenity, during the annual student evaluation where students present their projects. Coming close on the heels of the Husain controversy, most artists feel art is being targeted increasingly. Eminent Bangalore artist SG Vasudeva finds no justification for such an incident, "what is happening in Baroda is unimaginable. How could the Police enter the institution and arrest a student who was putting up his artwork for the sake of examination? It is unheard of! The action of the Vice Chancellor is equally shocking. Instead of protecting his student and the institution from the Police and from the ‘Moral policing persons’, he asks the student to apologize and sacks the Dean of Fine Arts Faculty for supporting the cause of student/s. The ‘Fundamentalists’ are taking the law into their own hands and or politicizing the Police and bring fear amongst the right thinking people.”
Artist Jasu Rawal from Vadodara now settled in Bangalore also feels police action against students is not healthy. He believes, “there should be an assessment of the intention behind such activities. Often jealousy or political motivation can be the moving factor behind such incidents. I have not seen the works, but if there is something, which needs to be criticized it should be discussed and debated in the right fora.”
Having studied at MS University, Ravikumar Kashi clarifies that all students’ present their artworks for internal assessment before a jury. Often, there are visitors who come in out of curiosity, but the intention is not to present this before outsiders. I have not seen the specific images but from what I have heard, it is along the lines of Tantric art, which has a long history in our country. Sculptures from Ajanta, Khajuraho and most temples are erotic in nature and this is not a concept new to us. In my opinion, we need to make them (fundamentalist) see things in the right context and at the same time we condemn this kind of policing. The silent protest planned to be held later in the day (6 pm MG Road) hopes to bring justice to Chandramohan. A letter addressed to the Governor of Gujarat is also being prepared.
Babu Eeshwar Prasad also feels that art is being targeted much more now than in the past. He says, “fundamentalists are using it to get mileage for themselves.” In fact, art has often been considered to be gimmicky and publicity oriented in the past, but now it seems to have become a ready prop for those looking for their two minutes of glory. Of late, many artists have drawn flak over their paintings and installations (remember last year’s show in Mumbai!), which has given rise to a lot of debate on the need for censorship. Vasudeva elaborates, “As a creative person I know my boundaries. No one needs to ‘censor’ my work. It is actually a fundamental freedom of expression that is being questioned. We should not allow ‘Talibanisation’ in our Country."
Although, the artist community is strongly against it, many people feel there is a need for moderation and sensitivity from the artists as well. I remember meeting a very senior artist from Mumbai who said that artists are not operating in a vacuum, they also have a social responsibility and they should be sensitive to the feelings of the viewers. The debate continues, but surely in a democracy, we can do without extremism
Watch this space for more…
Art Attack - Vadodara Controversy
I've provided some more links about the arrest of Chandramohan, an art student of MS University, Vadodara.
Hindustan Times
Yahoo News
Mumbai Mirror
South Asian Media
NDTV
DNA India
Times of India
Hindustan Times
Yahoo News
Mumbai Mirror
South Asian Media
NDTV
DNA India
Times of India
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