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“I think I could, if only I knew how to begin.” From Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland We see art in many places, but seeing and looking at art is very different from making a commitment to buy. Why do we begin with rather left-field point? After all we have been talking (and we can talk endlessly about art!) about the pure joy of understanding and appreciating art, for art’s sake! Well, because be that as it may, buyers of art will agree that making that first foray into buying can be a daunting prospect. Many a times we get requests from friends and acquaintances about recommendations on which artist to buy. These are generally prefaced with a certain budget in mind, with very few other criteria. This for us is like finding a needle in a haystack! They are confused, why can’t we just give some names they can look at, it’s not that complicated a matter. It is like asking an equities trader, analyst to make recommendations on which stock to buy, regardless of your preference of holding period, risk appetite, other investments in the portfolio….well actually even more complicated, since we don’t have long term trading indices to fall back upon! And we have to tacitly satisfy other sensibilities which go with owning art – can you live with it for a period of time, will it give you bragging rights over soirees, or even more basic than these, do you feel it was a good buy! Let us explain. For new buyers, a budget is a great place to start – after all , it’s good to have at least one defining criteria when wading into the unknown! But we now have to take it further. Any advisor or dealer will ask for some pointers on what you are interested in.  For instance, are looking for contemporary art or the moderns, or would it be that you are more drawn to folk and tribal? These are considered different categories in the art world. Why you ask? Because each genre represents a time-period, a history, a specific art style, and as importantly a history of sales and price points. It gets even more complex at this point. If you are inclined towards moderns (it might be the case without you realizing…you have seen these works on other platforms, you have read something in the passing about their auction records, the works have been used in marketing platforms…), we (as advisors) at least know the overall sensibility and the price range. Say you have a ballpark budget of Rs five lakhs, we will immediately exclude some of the top names, and focus on the lesser sold ones (please always remember, the price points are not the measure of talent or quality of work, and these artists may become popular and more in-demand as the art market continues to grow). But of course, this doesn’t end here – the price range might still qualify for a later period small paper work by Ram Kumar or if you are lucky even M F Husain. The other option would be to consider print artworks, such as lithographs, etchings or viscosity by Krishna Reddy or Tyeb Mehta or Gaitonde. There are also some great serigraphs by some of the leading moderns that are signed and numbered but these are usually in a large edition. If you are so inclined towards more contemporary works, you can look at works by mid-career contemporary artists, though you may not get them in a large format! Did we mention that artworks prices may also be contingent on size of the works, and the medium… We hope as adventurous and curious buyers, you are willing to experiment and have a view on the aesthetics that you are looking for, then we would recommend that you consider up and coming artists. Here we would suggest that you not be overtly concerned about how the artist is going to perform in the future or look for guarantees of a favourable return. The emphasis in this instance of acquisition should be - does its aesthetics appeal to you, do you align with the artist’s philosophy, and most importantly can you live it day in and day out? If yes, then you are in a good place to begin, because art at the end of it all is about your passion, what connects with you that work. Of course, we suggest that you learn about the artist – where she studied, did she win any awards, has she been on any residencies. These are not defining criteria for making the purchase but rather they help you understand the growth potential of the artist. Which brings us to the last category (for today’s discussion!) - folk and tribal art. Here again the options are many, such as Gond, Madhubani, Warli or Pats. Incidentally, even though its common to use the the generic terminology of folk and tribal, the practitioners of this artform are now in second, and in some cases third generation of painters and are known by their names having carved out a unique style for themselves. For instance, Jangarh would be considered as a ‘modern’ and his daughter Japani Shyam a contemporary practitioner. We don’t want to confuse the matter at hand, and this makes for another article. The point we are making is that there are multiple levels at which you can begin your collector’s journey in folk and tribal forms as well. Therefore, given the extensive playing field of the art world, it would be helpful to an advisor to have a few more qualifiers to help you embark on your journey of buying art, and as with everything in life worth doing, spend a little time, find out more – you will be surprised how much you enjoy the process.

The India Art Fair (IAF) concluded its 15th edition recently. As fairs go, the event has consistently held its spot as a major calendar date in India’s art itinerary. We have written about how art fairs are one of the barometers to ascertain the pulse of the commercial art sector for any region. With India’s art scene picking up steam - new galleries in the fray, more biennale, pop-up shows, better representation at international venues (fairs and museum shows), higher auction prices….it felt like the opportune time to take stock of what we discovered at this art trade fair, and whether we can understand the pulse of the market and the possible trajectory for the art sector in the coming years. To begin with, the IAF appears to have outgrown its venue, at NSIC Fair Grounds. This is just an observation, keeping in mind the need to have more facilities, and attract a growing, newer audience. However, we will keep the infrastructure question on the side right now and focus on the observed market dynamics. Design and art! It was heartening to see experimental design booths at the fair, as a nod to the overlap between high-design and art, making art more accessible for commercial purposes. While majority of the design booths were sectioned off to one side, The inclusion of design studios was even more interesting as there is an independent Design Week that follows the IAF at the same venue. Based on what we saw we assume that the design studios were presenting their ‘art’ creations rather than only functional design. Multi-media, and prevalence of alternate media While modern and contemporary pieces on traditional canvases continued to hold sway at the fair, it was interesting to note that galleries were showing more works from younger, contemporary artists using diverse materials, such as textiles, weaves, metals etc. This expansion of materials and types of artworks bodes well for the growth of the sector since its shows that the market is (slowly) maturing and willing to accept newer forms of artworks. A trend we spotted was the use of embroidery as medium, one to recreate paintings by recoginsed artists – MASH gallery had collaborated with Milayaya Embroideries to bring to life the works of S H Raza, Ram Kumar, KK Hebbar, Gulam Sheikh, Nilima Sheikh and Ranbir Kaleka, we loved some of the pieces and hope to see this take root in the art space.  The other was by younger artist who used embroidery as a medium, Chanakya which incidentally was the first to create embroidered pieces of Madhvi Parekh's paintings for the famous Dior exhibition, presented works by young artists. Diversity of galleries We also noted newer / younger galleries, from the major markets of Mumbai and New Delhi, as well as some of the regional cities at the fair. While majority of the galleries continued to show artists we have become quite familiar with over the last few years, it was good, nonetheless, to note that new galleries were being welcomed as a part of the expansion of the market. We would, however, like to point out that in spite of this, there were few new works, or artists at the fair. This appears to be the nature of a commercial art space, where sellers would like to optimise their heavy investments by selling  tried and tested works. Limited international fare We were excited to see some major internationals artists, such as Ai Wei Wei, Olafur Eliasson however, overall the international fare was limited. This is in line with the predominantly regional / local nature of IAF, which caters to a largely regional market, where tastes are heavily defined by known, traditional artworks. It would be interesting to see how the changes in the coming years, both with respect to introduction of younger artists, with newer works, as well as more international works. Limited large-scale art (including sculptures) This last point is more a comment on our own expectations of art, rather than the commercial,  nature of IAF. For some reason we were looking a for large sculptural works, which would stand in public spaces. We scoured the booths looking for pieces, only to realise that it was a search in vain. Galleries usually display smaller, fewer sculptural pieces since majority of the market is unlikely to shop for such as art fairs. This was expected. However, as art enthusiasts, looking to see a range of art and get a sense of trends, we were hard pressed to see cutting edge works, small or large at the fair. While the fair made the effort to put together some public art works, we felt that there was a lack of scale in what was showcased. With the Indian calendar becoming increasingly busy with biennale, cultural fairs, art shows, new non-profit spaces (such as Hampi Labs by JSW Foundation), the IAF remains one of the most sought after. Many galleries, auction houses, and cultural venues host parallel shows alongside the IAF, making this one of the busiest and more dynamic art events of the year. New initiatives and broader engagement, be it design studios or new galleries, are all good signs that the art sector in India is ready to break new grounds. As this sector grows, we would be interested to see how this engagement reaches a wider audience and creates deeper market opportunities.

We started thinking about how much artificial intelligence (AI) has permeated different areas of life. To be honest, at this point, it is really hard for us to say, but the conversation on the subject has been relentless. We have done periodic articles on art and technology this past year, but we are nowhere closer to deciding, what may be judged as art, when technology, specifically AI is involved. Regardless, we continue to devour news on the subject, in the hope that we will be able to figure out our own stance on this. Last week, one of the masters of new media art, Refik Andol, did what he does best – some spectacular, breathtaking dynamic artwork that combines science, technology - specifically machine learning, and art. He did this for the annual WEF conference at Davos, Switzerland. The idea itself was ingenious!  Titled, ‘Living Archive: Nature (2024)’, it used a custom built large-data model of images of coral from National Geographic, the Smithsonian Institute, CornellLab, the Natural History Museum in London, the Conservation Research Foundation Museum, as well as data collated by his team from around the world. We must stop and take a breath here, since just writing about this mammoth project, which took over a year, is mind boggling stuff. So, one thing is clear to us, the sheer volume of images processed would be very hard without AI data packages. The installation combined these real and fantastical images to re-imagine old worlds and to create some new ones. For example, he blends Amazon rainforest with a temperate forest to conjure what this new world might look like, and where conservation efforts might head. It doesn’t end there, his team also collaborated with Eric Saracchi, a former executive at the perfume maker Firmenich in Geneva, as well as the Alberto Morillas master perfumery, to create 12 different scents to accompany the work. The smells adapt to what is shown on the screen and reach the nose of the viewer through a device worn around the neck. For example, one might experience the smells of the forest before and after rains begins. This is just a very quick summary! The potential for such projects, their scale and usage are immense. From such dizzying heights, we now turn to the flip side. Swedish artist, Supercomposite, who created a haunting female portrait from AI (it went viral by the name of Loab), recently admitted that she felt technology to be ultimately limiting, and frustrating. The sentiment is echoed by Ai Wei Wei, who in a recent article in the Guardian, philosophised that technology is no match for human will. He further posited that the human need to create must be harnessed with mastering techniques, which requires artist’s lifelong exploration and dedication. Art, after all, is an expression of life’s growth, experiences, beliefs and emotions. These are simple, yet complex arguments. We can surely do things better with AI, move faster, smoother, learn more things, more quickly. Don’t we all want that? Why are we then drawn to Ai Wei Wei’s argument – the joy of creation, through the pain of experience and learning. Let’s face it, it’s not much fun practicing the same thing again, indeed frustrating when we don’t seem to make any progress! But no matter what activity we have been involved with – art, sports, writing…the satisfaction and understanding from this process, when we do manage to get somewhere, is exulting. We are not trying to trivialise the discussion, with these simplified conclusions. And we do love technology and the wonders it opens for us (we couldn’t stop looking at Andol’s images!). What we need to understand is that new media be it AI, data mining, or any form is visual language that is distinct from the traditional forms of art, can co-exist and need not impinge on the other. New media art is a reflection of the times we live in, and after all contemporary art expresses our current worlds and context, an evolution from the past. Just as photography is accepted as a medium that has the potential to create meaningful iconic images that go beyond the medium, the same can be true of the new media, especially when we look at the works of Refik Anadol.

For its 15th edition of the fair, to be held in February this year, India Art Fair (IAF) has announced a special section on design to be featured alongside the regular fare of art galleries. This was interesting news for the avid watchers such as us, and it got us thinking (again!) about the increasing overlap between art and design. After all, generally, the definition of design is that which is applied and made with a functional use, whereas artwork is the end in itself. When we look at art, we are inspired to understand what it all means, and conversely a well-designed object often evokes the thought, how well does it solve a problem and ‘do something’. A quick search on the internet will list out some of the more obvious reasons, we will not bore you with those here! But the two categories have often encroached into each other’s terrain. To begin with there’s the question - is there a difference between design and art or are they interchangeable? In certain instances, a good work of design may surpass its functional expectations and be considered a work of art. If this sounds too abstract, let's start by narrowing what we mean by design. In this day and age when UI/UX platforms are also referred to as design, we are specifically referring to design as related to interior objects, textiles, functional objects, furniture, fashion and jewelry. One of the best examples where art and design merge, is fashion design by Iris van Herpen State-of-the-art | Iris van Herpen. Each of Iris’s creations is akin to a work of art, even when she creates these pieces to be wearable. Whereas someone like Isamu Noguchi has his starting point in sculpture (art). His Akari light sculptures, which used the traditional gifu technique with Washi paper and bamboo, were made as sculptural pieces, which Noguchi subsequently adapted as lights. Or even his iconic coffee table for that instance. Of course, there are numerous examples of glass artists creating glass fixtures, we even did a week’s worth of Instagram posts on these! The point where a designer becomes imbued by the concept of a thing, in a purist realm, or where an artist pushes through to create usable objects in indeed nebulous. When we look at the Indian scenario, unfortunately, we struggle to find many examples, especially for objects that have become cult classics. It has often been our lament that art doesn’t feature prominently in Indian homes or workplaces (we are not referring to the few who do value it). Design, be it architecture, interiors, street furniture, signage…has little premium in most people’s daily lives. It is mostly relegated to (the few) museums, or galleries, and sometimes shows up in daily objects. Indeed, and not to denigrate anything, most design-objects border on kitsch or handicrafts. Sometimes, artists and designers break this mold, and even though they may not be household names, they do leave a mark at both ends of the spectrum. Some names that come to mind include Dashrath Patel, a master of communication and graphic design, who also created sublime paintings as an artist; and Riten Mozumdar, a textile designer par excellence - think all the bold prints of fabIndia in the early days of its operations. Riten Mozumdar | Chatterjee & Lal (chatterjeeandlal.com) In the past couple of decades, brands such as Good Earth and Nicobar have done excellent work to bring crafts, and design to household items. However, we lack the widespread adaptability from high art to design. This lack of awareness of designers and their work could also be due to paucity of visibility in the form of books or venues to access their work. Mumbai, always in the forefront of design and art in India, has a welcome initiative - a gallery dedicated to design, 47-A in Khotachi wadi, an initiative by Srila Chatterjee and Chatterjee and Lal. So, coming back to where we started this article. It is a welcome sign that IAF is collaborating with designers and bringing them into a purist (?) art space – and we would be watching with interest as to how it fares in the times to come.

Amrita Sher-Gil’s life (1913-1941) and works have been a subject of interest through her life and beyond. Her precociousness as a woman artist attracted as much attention as the brilliance of her unfettered artworks. Her short life is full of stories about her convictions for what it meant for her to be an artist, a woman, an Indian woman artist. She even had definite ideas about her subjects and settings. Her untimely death, at the age of 29 years, sent shock waves through the art world. We started this article with stories about Amrita, because as life sometimes is, her work ‘The Story Teller’ became the most expensive Indian artwork in Saffronart’s auction in September 2023. Sold at Rs 61.8cr (approximately US$ 7.5mn), it might not compete with some of the figures achieved by more developed markets, but for the Indian art market, coming of age, it set a perfect note for what to expect. It was also exciting for us, tracking the progress of the market, to see Amrita’s work achieve this feat! With all the attention this artwork received, we wanted to breakdown some of the elements which make it special, not least the enigma around the artist herself. Many art critics and historians have lauded Amrita’s contribution towards the artistic marriage of the east and the west, but its her deep empathy towards her subjects, her ability to translate that ‘je ne sais quoi’ into an artistic language that makes her a true Indian modern master. ‘The Story Teller’ is a noteworthy work in many respects. Painted in 1937, the oil work shows a group of women, in a social intimate setting. The setting is rural – domesticated animals mingle, as if they are part of the group. All appear to at complete ease in each other’s company - exchanging news and listening avidly to the stories been told. A lone man in a red-turban peers from behind, eve’s (!) dropping on these gossiping women, who seem complete in their own milieu. The white walls offer the perfect backdrop against the deep ochre of the floor in the foreground. In spite of the rather stark colours of the walls and the floor, the scene itself is colourful, amplified by the deep shades of red and teal of the women’s ‘duppattas’. We elucidate below some details, to help understand this important work, and its history in the artist's life: Period of painting: 1937, Amrita was living in India after having spent years in Paris studying. This decision was contrary to what most artists were making, Amrita was confident that India was hers as Europe belonged to Gauguin and others! Also, on her return to India in 1934, she undertook a tour of South India to see firsthand some of the grand paintings and sculptural traditions of India. The use of line in Ajanta made an impression on her, which would reflect in her works. This was also when she saw Indian miniatures. The boldness of colour, flat application of paint appealed to her sensibilities. Simplification: Amrita wanted to create a visual language that was uniquely hers and this quest drove her to observe and distill her thoughts. This was her crucial tool that went into the conceptualization of forms uniquely hers. Stylization: Her ability to prune out the superfluous allowed her to create a style that was stamped with her personality. The simplified forms were stylized – for instance the shape of the face, the form of the hands, the treatment of the dress. Eschew emotions in her subjects: Amrita was a strong proponent of eschewing emotions of her subjects, she wanted the focus to be on the painting as a whole. She felt that by introducing emotions she would distract the viewers. This painting is a perfect example - look at the women - you cannot tell if they are sad, happy or fighting! Colours: This painting has bold use of red for the women’s dresses and the tips of their fingers, contrasted by their earthy skin tones, save one who is pale skinned. She introduces another splash of colour by using teal. The rest of the work is offset by ochre. However, the star of this painting is the many shades of white for the walls, which binds the painting together and gives it glow. Close knit figures: Amrita always staged her models in her studio, sometimes also photographed them to be able to work out the details. However, this work is believed to be done in plein air (outdoors in a natural setting). This is challenging for any artist since the light changes continuously, but it also infuses the work with a sense of liveliness. Women as the protagonist: Women were an integral subject of Amrita’s paintings, be it her self-portraits or those of her family and friends. So, no surprise that here too she focuses on a group of women, bonding over a story session amidst the animals of the house. In this painting she has introduced a male figure in the background, but his role is as a prop to create the depth of field. While the above aspects make the work special and desirable to a buyer, two other factors drive prices and frenzied bidding at any auction: availability and provenance. Availability: Amrita’s canvases are rare. Very few large canvases from the later, prolific period of her career are available for trade. The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi has the largest collection of such works, and these are not likely to be brought to the market. The availability of such a work, no doubt excited the connoisseurs of Indian art. Hence it is no surprise that this work garnered so much attention. Provenance: The other additional fact driving valuation is that this is well documented work. It is known that it was exhibited in Lahore, and that the Amrita had identified this work to be included in the set of works for reproductions. Most importantly the provenance is impeccable - the artist exhibited the work, it had press coverage and the buyer was known in whose possession the work remained till it came up for auction. While all these factors contributed towards the price achieved, and as followers of Indian art market we like to keep track of how prices move, at its core the Amrita Sher-Gil, and indeed other luminaries of Indian art, paved the way for what came after in the evolution of Indian art in post independence India - redefining techniques, subjects, styles and a boldness of vision. Indian art market is an exciting place to be right now, and we will continue to update important milestones in its trajectory!

We recently read about the Tribal Art London (TAL), which opens in October in London, and is considered an important art event in the realm of folk and tribal art. Bringing together tribal works of art, and original cultural objects from around the world, the event draws collectors, institutions, and interior designers. Though with approximately 20 show participants, the fair is much smaller in size than some international art fairs, it has nonetheless created an event calendar for this fragmented cultural space. Parcours de Mondes, perhaps the oldest and the biggest in volume, with approximately 50 exhibitors, is held in September each year in Paris, attracting a dedicated clientele of connoisseurs and dealers alike. The Tribal Art Fair Amsterdam, is similar in scale to TAL and is held in late October every year. In comparison, Santa Fe International Folk Market, held in July each year, in the United States of America, hosts approximately 250 galleries and dealers, specializing in indigenous art forms and objects, with a special focus on supporting individual artists from the region. While the Sante Fe Folk Market embodies a larger focus of living artists, artworks and crafts, the European fairs focus on tribal antiquities from Africa, Polynesia and the far east, with some rugs and tribal jewelry. An obvious deduction is that Paris, London and United States are the key players in the folk and tribal art market. These are also the places where auctions are held. Major auction houses, including Christies and Sotheby’s hold specialized auctions for tribal, folk art and artefacts, which have continued to see a steady rise. While no real study is available to assess the quantum of growth or specific trends with respect to origin or type of art, what is clear is the steady increase in volume and price points. For example, in June 2023, Christie’s Paris held the sale of Michel Perinet’s collection of tribal art and antiquities, which resulted in an impressive €66mn (approximately US$69mn) total sale, with all 61 lots sold, as well as ten lots going under the hammer for over €1mn. Indicative of this healthy demand, the ‘tapuanu mask’ from Mortlock Islands (Micronesia, Pacific Islands) sold for €7.8mn, and the ‘Fang Ebony Head’ from Gabon Africa, achieved €6.5mn (appx US$6.8 mn). Since this was a relatively recent sale, we managed to get some real numbers, but as of now we haven’t been able source a more detailed, comprehensive study about tribal arts around the world, and our assessment is largely based on the news we have been following. As per this, the global scene in this niche and growing art space seems to be skewed to small controlled market spaces in Europe and the US, which dictate pricing, buyer outreach and availability of art. What is missing in this scenario are fairs and / or organized market spaces in the countries of origin with global market outreach. Australia is the only country where aboriginal art and crafts have found a strong domestic audience, but these also include contemporary aboriginal artists. In India, one of the highest recorded auction prices for folk art is by Gond artist Jangarh Singh Shyam, at Rs 65 lakhs (approx. US$ 91,000) at a Pundole’s auction in February 2023. This was part of a modern art sale, and not an exclusive tribal / folk art auction. While Saffronart has done some tribal and folk art sales, these are largely fragmented and not a regular feature. It is pretty much the same story with other auction houses as well, some pieces get featured in catalogues, but these are few and far between. This in part could be in part due to the dated antiquities law, which makes any object deemed art from over 100 years, to be an antiquity - and some of the older and more in demand artworks and objects from tribal and folk traditions get included within its purview. We did a detailed article on how this is a disservice to the Indian art market last year. Outside of the auction space, the curiosity and demand for artworks and objects from tribal and folk traditions continues to grow. Younger artists from within these communities are making their mark in the gallery space, with their own unique take on contemporary art within their traditional practices. While the European market is vibrant and active, albeit with little representation from living traditional art works, it does show the heights quality works can achieve. Indian tribal traditions have had a smaller impact so far in the international arena, though having said that some of our most talented folk artists are shown in Paris and New York - think Pushpa Kumari or the Balu Mashe! The expanding range and depth of artworks and artefacts for the Indian tribal market is quite staggering, especially since it can potentially cater to a wider price bracket and audience. The lack of organised and focussed efforts towards making this reality feels to be a missed opportunity at present, though we feel it will become inevitable as the interest within the country grows. For this to become a reality, systematic efforts are required with respect to bringing artists to the market, making their works available as well as a transparent pricing mechanism, where new buyers feel comfortable investing.

Quote from Gilbert & George’s Triptych ‘Scapegoating Pictures’ , 2013 Art curation is one of those subjects which might confound some people. Do we really need curators? Doesn’t art just speak for itself….is this all some highfalutin line of work to make art even more obscure. The simple answer of course is that it’s exactly the opposite. A more complex discussion might involve years of social, economic, and cultural evolution, new technologies, changing societies and viewpoints, new ways of seeing things - so we will try and keep this conversation simple. Not because we feel people wouldn’t want to get into it, but essentially, as with everything else we do at ArtKyk, our focus remains on how we can best translate art subjects without having to write a thesis! But to start with a nerdy fact. Curating comes from the Latin word, ‘curare’ – to take care. A rather life affirming way of looking at art, and what curators bring to it. So, at its core, a well curated show for us translates into a story well told. To entice the audience with a premise, reel them in with a narrative, and let them leave with the satisfaction of having gained something higher, more contextual about art and artists, which makes their worldview a little richer, and perhaps even create an epiphany! There is much literature on selection, organisation and presentation of curated shows. While curating itself remains a popular and much in demand career within the art sphere, we find the best curators have the ability to seek out the hidden threads between artworks, an artist’s work span, and weave a narrative, which touches the contemporary audience in a personal manner. This brings us to what really sparked this discussion. As with many other things these days it was AI and technology. It is of course rather annoying to have to continuously upend our thoughts, and reaffirm what we believe, but it allowed us to rethink what we know and how we want to translate this in the future. Nasher Museum of Art, at Duke University produced a ChatGPT exhibition through AI, with an idea to ‘push the boundaries of curatorial practice’. AI titled the show – “Dreams of Tomorrow”. Based on what we have read (we haven’t seen the show), we understand the diversity of material ranging from pieces dating 2000 BCE to 2021, felt disjointed and a tad overwhelming for most viewers, yet there was much curiosity and some good ratings. In 2022, a similar exercise was attempted at the Bucharest Biennale, led by AI named Jarvis. We understand other similar projects are also underway by museums and biennales. This might be just the start of AI curation, and it will no doubt evolve. It is, however, important to understand that the human agency still stores, and subconsciously assimilates, processes much inbuilt memory, threads of information, even though it might not be all at the click of a button. So, while AI will be very helpful in sifting through data, images information already available on the worldwide web, a thinking mind and discerning eye may not be currently part of it. We wonder where this will lead to. Since the only constant in all things is change, it becomes necessary to understand how these projects might shape the future. And not just through technology, but also the changing circumstances of the artworld. Unlike before, where going to art shows in galleries, museums, and other institutions, was a purview of the few, the appeal of a well curated show, ‘blockbuster’ artists with mass following is now spread far and wide, especially on social media, where many artists regularly offer works directly to interested buyers. So, it brings us back to how we started this article, by defining curation - to care. How will technology, AI, changing norms shape the narrative? Will there be more projects based on the myriad works, available for high-powered AI software to rake through and combine with some fragmented themes…or will it be something completely new, unseen as before, much outside our current imagination, carefully shaping a more evolved worldview. These questions puzzle us, sometimes as much as art does….

A couple of weeks ago we heard the announcement that the museum in Madrid, Reina Sofia, had lifted its three decades ban to photograph Pablo Picasso’s famed work, Guernica. The news got us thinking about the reason for such bans, and thereafter the lifting of the same. As big supporters of availability of digital resources on art for all, our interest was piqued, so we had to look into it! The famous 1937, 26-foot long work by Picasso, made at the height of the Spanish civil war, has generated much literature and documentaries. One of the best ones we saw was by the British historian and commentator, Simon Schama, in 2006 for the BBC, aptly titled – Power of Art. The title pretty much explains what this work meant at the time of a major political and social conflict, and what it has invoked thereafter. In 1992, the Reina Soifa Museum acquired the work, and promptly imposed a ban on photographing by visitors. Museums often ban use of flashlights and undue light exposure to a work to preserve it. This has been true for many such institutions. So, why revise the position now? In the present times, when a big part of visiting a place is dictated by the ability to take a selfie for social media, indeed for most people, if there is no social media post, the visit might as well not have taken place (!), the museum must have struggled to explain such an imposition, especially when photography was allowed in other areas of the same museum. In addition, museums around the world are struggling with decreasing funding, and inflating costs. There is an increased pressure to drive footfall through innovate measures and bring art closer to the people. Museums often exhibit ‘blockbuster’ artists to drive footfalls and ticket revenues. For example, when Glasgow Museum of Modern Art hosted a solo show of Banksy earlier this year, it attracted a whopping 180,000 visitors during its 10-week run. It did enforce the no-photograph / video rule though! Such measures continue to confound us, where museums would understandably want to protect the art in their care, while also hoping to drive public attendance and engagement. It is noteworthy to mention that the Banksy-show was for a limited period, and the museum could hence probably balance both objectives. The other end of the spectrum is the recent collaboration between Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art’s (the Met) and the Korean electronics giant Samsung. Purchasers of their top-of-the-line Frame model can now view some of Met’s storied collection, by turning the Frame screen into a ‘digital canvas’. An interesting move for sure, both for the company and the museum, allowing works to be digitally available, while at the same time controlling the lighting and exposure with professional documentation. So, where does this leave us the news about Guernica? It shows us that there is a need to push for easy digital access of art, and that museums, and art institutions need to continuously re-think public engagement to keep works relevant and available, without compromising their responsibility towards preservation. A fine balance indeed!

Every other week we hear of a story where an imminent institution or collector has been duped with fake art. The most recent high-profile incident came to light when the FBI started investigation on the authenticity of 25 Basquiat paintings in the exhibition, ‘Heros and Monsters: Jean-Michel Basquiat’, at the Orlando Museum of Art. Interestingly, the collection came under scrutiny when it was revealed at the type-face of the FedEx box, on which one of the works was painted (the artist often scavenged boxes), didn’t come into being till six years after the artist’s death! The museum subsequently sued its former director who is alleged to be involved and who hoped to pocket the commission from sales after legitimising the works at the museum. We understand that court has recently ruled no jail time for the offender, and only a notional fine and lots of community service hours, plus probation due to extenuating circumstances. The 2020 documentary on Netflix, ‘Made You Look: The True Story of Fake Art’, was even more interesting. It revealed a long-standing forged art enterprise at one of the most blue-chip and the oldest galleries in New York, Knoedler Gallery, which sold some of the most dazzling American abstractionists, including Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Andy Warhol, Fraz Kline, to name a few. These works were ratified by the gallery and sold for phenomenal market prices. Few of us, and much less genuine enthusiastic collectors, can turn away from once in a lifetime, never-before seen, artworks from such luminaries. It is believed that some of the most spectacular forgeries and fakes hang in some of the most prominent museum around the world, hiding in plain sight. This is all some very murky waters, and prospective buyers would rightfully become even more wary about buying, collecting, and investing in artworks, especially from artists who have become very ‘hot’ in the sales circles. How are we ever going to navigate this space, where so much depends on trust, reputation, and handshakes? The question about authentic artworks is not just philosophical, there is also a financial urgency to it. Much monies hinges on making sure that reputation is not marred by selling fakes. For example, Sotheby’s offers a five-year guaranteed refund if the object of sale is proven to be counterfeit. They even bought an independent technology-based authentication company, Orion Analytical, becoming the first auction house to have an in-house conservation and analytics unit. While technology has made some these areas more transparent, it still is not the first port of call for buyers, who would typically go back to institutions and marketplaces they continue to trust, till something different is revealed. And technology can work both ways, assisting expert forgers in producing even more convincing fakes. In India, where documentation and public resources available for art are in an even more wanting state, fakes and forgeries abound, making it difficult sometimes for even the most conscientious authenticators and art experts to prove or disprove a claim. While the few artists estates take the onus of documenting and verifying the artists’ works, there remain swathes of other artists and artworks that have almost negligible provenance or publication histories. We have spoken about the need for free digital public information on art, and its importance towards building authentic databases in our January 2023 article ‘Artworks for Free…’. We also wrote about the most rudimentary steps that a prospective buyer / collector can take in our May 2023 article, ‘How to Build an Art Collection’. But in spite of these measures, it is important to remember that the art world marketplace requires, like any other dynamic spaces, care and attention and due diligence to navigate successfully. Since there is little legal recourse or established laws in India about art forgeries, these are likely to continue. Some artists, such as the recent case of Mumbai artist Ravindra Pabrekar, where the artist had to resort to filing a police complaint after discovering an online platform (World Art Hub) selling works, mis-attributing him as a painter, at a fraction of the prices. The platform has since then cited this as an unintentional error and offer damages to the artist. But this was a long, tortuous route for the artist, where even the police were slow to action, and the compensation minimal. We cant emphasize enough that when buying a work of art ensure that you do your due diligence, ask for provenance for non-living or the famous artists especially when it is an artwork that has changed many hands. Research on the period, what are the other artworks from the period under consideration and compare the artworks, for example: what did Raza’s paintings from the early 1980’s look like, what was the colour palette. Read about the artist biography to understand the artist’s work trajectory better. Souza visited Italy in 1961 and did many sketches of towns and cities; does your work match what he painted during this period? Just as the Basquiat forgery, sometimes the clues to identifying a fake lie in these little details. So, keep an open mind, and close eye, no matter where you choose to buy from! And as ever, build a circle of trusted art advisors, who can help guide you ask the right questions!

We have often extolled the virtues of print as an artistic medium in our articles and instagram posts. We have also written about the world of museums and what goes into the making of its collection. Today we offer an interesting insight into how prints came to the rescue of a museum, which made us cheer. It was the recent news from Whitworth Museum in Manchester, where Swedish conceptual artists duo Goldin+Senneby recreated Albert Durer’s acclaimed print Meloncholia 1, 1514, by reverse engineering the engraved printing plate from an original impression in the museum collection. This rather technical feat encapsulates many facets relevant to the art market - from proliferation of new technology in all spheres of the art sector, to recreating old masterpieces for a contemporary audience, as well as the need for art to be commercially viable, and of course conservation and reviving old prints in new ways. That’s a lot to pack in! To explain this, we look at what the project aims to do, and how it gets there. Essentially, the museum, as all museums are, was looking to generate revenue streams to support their ongoing operations. Goldin+Senneby came up with an ingenious solution. By taking an old original print of Durer’s complex and popular work Melancholia I, and reverse-engineering the printing plate through advanced scanning and 3D printing, with experts from the printers, engravers, and cultural economists. The choice of the work itself was interesting. Durer was a much acclaimed and successful artist from the Renaissance period. The immensely detailed print personifies Melancholia, one of the four temperaments. The work is rich in imagery and metaphors, which include a dejected winged woman, an hourglass, a sundial, an ailing dog, and a magical calendar – possibly alluding to the passage of time, amplifying a sense of creative frustration. The work had captured the imagination at that time, especially in his home city of Nuremberg, and many prints were created. The present recreation of this masterpiece introduced the theory of melancholia of finance, where the tools of banking industry have failed. The imagery serves this well and creates a bond with a new audience. In addition, with the act of recreation, without de-accessioning the original print, the museum was successful in creating a new revenue stream. The museum aims to sell 18 prints on the original 16th century paper, and subsequent editions on new paper for the museum gift shop. Following weeks will reveal the commercial acceptance of the prints. The originality, artistic sensitivity and the commercial viability of this enterprise has got us thinking about how Indian museums and institutions, or indeed galleries, need to think outside the box to continuously keep art alive and make it commercially sustainable for both buyers and institutions. In the Indian context, while Raja Ravi Varma’s prints remain popular – some platforms even created NFTs of his work, at the height of crypto valuation – these have largely been limited to representation ancient stories. We have so far not seen an effort to bring these subjects and stories to a younger audience. There are many such art forms and avenues which may be revived for contemporary times. Some of the options, of the top of our heads, include the Bengal Revivalist prints, with their nostalgic and romantic interpretations of poems such as that of Amir Khusro and instances from that time period, imagine Death of Shah Jehan as he looks at the Taj Mahal, or the Pune Chitrashala Press, (est 1878) which made prints of leaders and, captured deities and characters from the epics. Similarly, there various such turn-of-the-century print studios in Bombay, Pune and Kolkata. These were all popular print arts at that time, and consolidate a rich history of Indian art. Most of these are in hands of private collections and some museums. Therefore, if the prints are revived in an authentic and precise manner, it would become accessible to a new audience, and generate revenue for the museums. It would mean work for young print makers and curb the market for fakes! In our opinion, what will make this exercise germane to present times, and consequently commercially viable, would involve a revival of not only the physical artwork but also a re-look at these subjects – essentially, art to create a modern narrative for a newer, younger audience. Art, which resonates, is that which generally evokes thoughts, emotions, latent sensibilities of the viewer, and that which is likely to be personal, creating a link with our psyche. There is much food for thought here, and something we hope will find resonance and a market in the near future.

Typically, our posts speak of the business practices of the art world or certain art trends that we feel are likely to have long lasting ramifications on art practices. However, out of the blue, when we started seeing the internet obsession with Barbie and things associated with her, it got our brain ticking, and we had to weigh in! We heard and read about the rage the new movie, Barbie, had become; the immersive experiences of Barbie doll houses; people dressing up as Barbie and Ken to watch the movie; and the emphasis on the colour pink, with pink-parties! The Mattel toy really doesn’t need much introduction. Indeed, at the end of the last century (its sounds that old!) and the beginning of this one, it felt like Barbie was something in the past, and a new feminine narrative would be in reinforced through the bight new thing called the internet. We were young then (very green behind the ears!), and this new narrative felt empowering and inevitable. Yet, twenty years later, here we are, being bombarded by a deluge of pink on the (same!) internet. The movie with an estimated budget of $145 million with another $100 million on marketing is expected to make sure that it shakes up the social media platform to recoup its investment. But what is surprising is how quickly and wholeheartedly it has been adopted by raving fans. Is it our current mindset that things feel so volatile in the socio-politico, economic spheres, that even some mindless pink is the best distraction? What makes this an even more bewildering space, is that the movie has helped catapult its woman director Greta Gerwig, in the rarefied $1 billion club! So, more power to her! She has managed to turn a symbol of regressive feminine narrative into a billion-dollar money machine. We started thinking about how artists have, over the years, used seemingly benign toys, to convey a deeper, more macabre message. In 1994, artist Nancy Burson produced the ‘Aged Barbie’, where she used the programs available at that time to age the toy and make Polaroid spectra photograph of the work. The work, which was on commission for a book, was rejected, since the publishers were horrified about the reality of what was proposed. Other artists over the decades have also used dolls to re-examine and hold a mirror on the message of feminine stereotypes – the pressure for girls to conform and the deep racial biases it showcases. We decided to look closer home to see whether artists had used dolls and toys as a part of their visual language. There were a few, but the depiction feels much wider, a more expansive socio-cultural conversation, rather than an obsession with just the physical form. For example, Jamini Roy deployed a formal use though Bankura toys, horses, and dolls. These portray a playful image, a sense of reconnecting with the pure. On the other hand, Bikash Bhattacharjee’s famous doll series portrays a sinister outlook of society. In all honesty, we find these artworks a bit unnerving! However, contemporary Indian artist, Anant Joshi’s uses dolls/ toys to make pointed scathing remarks on their cultural role, Interestingly Anant Joshi interacted with toys only as an adult and saw them as a tool for cultural programming of the next generation, a somber acknowledgement of how this might shape future realities. Most often Anant Joshi mutilates the toys and re-imagines them, he began by using discarded or found toys but gradually began making his own toys. The last few weeks, the bizarre joint phenomena of Oppenheimer-Barbie have overtaken much of the social media space, and in some unintended fashion shone a lens on our distorted perception and realities. At the end, we provide a disclaimer that we have not actually seen either of these movies and are pretty much reacting to the reaction! We also don’t anticipate seeing the movie, Barbie. We would at some point see Oppenheimer, which has produced its own set of internet outrage, especially in India, with the inclusion of the text from the Krishna’s sermon in the Bhagwat Gita in a sexual setting. But that’s a conversation for another day. And we think it will be a much more interesting, and less disturbing and antediluvian one than what the Barbie one has been.

You may wonder why as an art buyer, collector or even an art enthusiast you should read about copyright issues? Afterall, the news on these items seems to be about luxury brands and artists fighting against each other. Yes the debate starts at that point, but the reverberations are felt far and wide. And we feel its important to keep abreast with this aspect of the industry news! So we begin with the broad framework of the copyright issue, and then highlight what it means to anyone who is buying or considering buying art. Recent ruling by the US Supreme Court against Andy Warhol Foundation (AWF), which used an original photograph by Lynn Goldsmith of Prince (the musician) brought to light the increasingly nuanced and complicated matter of copyright in art. We wrote about copyrights and art in our article in March 2023. The focus of that article was using original works for promotion of luxury goods, as well as the use of luxury products in the AI and NFT space. Where the boundaries between what is permissible were not only blurred but downright confusing! The discussion continues to expand with new issues thrown in the mix, such as famous artists using works of other artists, without permission, as in the case of AWF vs Lynn Goldsmith. The complexity of this particular case centred around the interpretation of the new work being ‘transformative’ enough to be considered an original in its own right. In addition, since the work was used by Vanity Fair for commercial purpose (usage is allowed for parody, education or criticism, and not commercial purposes under US law), without permission of the artist, who retained licensing rights, the courts ruled that ‘fair use’ doctrine had been infringed upon and original’ works, like those of other photographers, are entitled to copyright protection, even against famous artists.” What makes this case even more intriguing is that fact that artist Barbara Krueger and curator Richard Storr had sided with AWF, stating that artists had always referenced and copied each other’s works and AWF should be exempt from infringement on this basis. The details of the case, and the ruling is available on the internet for reference. We became particularly interested in this case since the laws in India regarding art (and design) are fantastically opaque. We started thinking how a similar case might pan out under the Indian legislation. As of now under the Indian laws, the artist has complete ownership of their work during their lifetime plus 60 years. The artist can authorize copyright of specific works to another party for commercial purposes to reproduce, make derivative works, distribute copies of the artwork and undertake public display. However, there is no clear definition of what may constitute transformative works, which reference original artworks. It is also not clear whether certain fields such as education or information dissemination are exempt from licensing requirements. With the increasing overlap of art forms especially that of AI, the copy right laws in India need to be dusted and brought up to speed to protect artist and their artworks. Promotion of art in India cannot be without protection of artists rights, or on the flip side be too restrictive to deter free flowing creative process. Does this mean that as a buyer you are not allowed to share the artwork you own? Yes and no – let us explain. Yes, you can share images of the artwork you currently own, but it is important that you credit the artist, the artwork with its title, medium and dimensions and indicate that the image copyright belong to the artist. The copyright credit is critical, because when you buy an artwork, the copyrights are not passed on to the buyer, and rather remain with the artist. This is sacrosanct across the globe. Therefore, the need to acknowledge that the copyright belongs to the artist, even if it is for non-commercial usage (think festive greeting cards or these days jpegs!). It is expected that when you use an image you inform the artist at the very least, or better still get artists’ approval – they are not averse to the usage of the image, just cautious of the context it appears in. An absolute no-no would be altering the image by the way of using filters or any special effects or adding elements. A note on the side, when auction houses and galleries publish catalogues both online and offline they are allowed the use of the image without getting into the need for copyrights as they are printed specifically for the purpose of sale of the artwork and it assists in the sale of the artwork. However, some artist estates allow the usage only for the duration of the sale, therefore when you are browsing auction sale data some of the images are taken down as the copyright doesn’t belong to the auction nor the buyer! More on artist estates at a later date. As an update, the Warhol and Goldsmith sage continues to get weird. Ms Goldsmith recently asked Texas based artist Ryan Sandison Montgomery to delete his artwork from Instagram. Montgomery had made two mixed-medium artworks based on the court case, and posted one on Instagram in March 2023, aptly titled ‘The Artist Formerly Known as Supreme Court as Andy Warhol as Lynn Goldsmith as Prince Not Laughing’!