Put your money where your art is

Planning to buy art? Here’s what Bangalore's experts have to say on art that the middle-class buyer can afford to buy, whether for aesthetic reasons or as investment.

What is affordable art?
The idea of affordable art is being thrown around quite a lot these days. While people have their own opinions regarding what constitutes art, or more specifically ‘good art’, affordability seems to be a bit of a confusing marker. Jyotirmay Bhattacharya, a Bangalore-based curator who doesn’t believe in the label explains, “Usually the size of your pocket decides affordability. What is affordable to you may not be affordable to the next person and vice versa.” Sharan Apparao of Apparao Galleries says, “anything that a person can afford to pay” makes a piece of art affordable. But this definitely doesn’t mean that the phrase ‘affordable art’ is a misnomer. And to carry the concept further, city-based art portal Artchutney.com now offers a system of instalments to pay for a piece of art you may buy from them.

Price point
Speaking of affordability, you cannot shy away from talking about price tags, however distasteful it might be in context of art. So broadly speaking, art that comes at a price that is below Rs1 lakh is considered to be affordable, according to Deepa Subramanian of Galerie De’Arts. Shiraz Vakharia of Artchutney.com pegs the ceiling a bit lower at under Rs80,000. Subramaniam goes on to add, “affordability is the first criterion for a buyer, even though he may be in love with the painting he just saw. The segment of buyers here includes young buyers such as techies who are beginning to show an interest in art collection and the serious collectors who have a budget constraint.”

The real deal
There are three categories of art that usually come under the label of affordable art. The first is of course original paintings and other art work by emerging young artists. Jasmine Khanna of Gallerie Third Eye believes that such artists should be brought to the fore. “We give opportunities to young artists, we give them a platform to showcase their work, and we try to nurture such initiatives where there is talent.” Bhattacharya, who’s associated with Gallery Time and Space, concedes: “Aspiring artists sell their work at much lower prices than the masters. Some of it may come under what is commonly touted as affordable.”

If you’re on the look out for names, Sharan Apparao suggests artists like “Avinash Veeraraghavan, Naveen Thomas, Babu Ishwar Prasad, Ranjini Shettar to name a few”.

Small comforts
The second category of affordable art refers to smaller work, limited edition signed reproductions and serigraphs by established artists. Bhattacharya gives examples of such work curated for an exhibition on Bengal art at Gallery Time and Space — Jogen Choudhuri serigraphs and smaller work pegged at a range of Rs25,000 or a smaller work by Subha Prashanna at about Rs45,000. At Galerie De’Arts, the ongoing exhibition Contemporary Pioneers of Karnataka (going on till the end of February), features miniature or small format works of senior artists which are affordable, being priced between Rs15,000 and a lakh. “There are pieces by artists like PF Kumar, SG Vasudev, Yusuf Arakkal which are priced at under a lakh,” says Subramaniam.

Art on products
The third category refers to art on products, ceramics and even photography. While a lot of galleries shy away from it, initiatives like Artchutney.com have a dedicated segment on art of products. “At the recent Appetite for Art event at Caperberry restaurant, we had Paresh Hazra reproduce paintings from his classic Odissi dance series on dinner plates, priced above Rs1,000 each. Then there are new concepts like art on cushion covers and so on,” says Vakharia. Places like Galerie Sara Arakkal have such products on sale as well.

Buyers’ guide
So how does the first-time buyer go about deciding what kind of art to buy? “It is best to trust your instincts when buying art for any reason. You should be able to relate to either the colours or some similar element in the artwork but it must appeal to you. I would recommend going to the right gallery so they can help you identify the right piece for you,” suggests Sharan Apparao. Bhattacharya puts the buyers into two segments. “Some people buy art to do up their homes. And some buy art as an investment. The latter should check the artists’ profiles and background thoroughly before making a buy.” Galleries often step in here to help people decide. Artchutney.com offer consultancy and regularly advise clients regarding better investment, says Vakharia.

But more often, people on the lookout for affordable art are interested in what Vakharia calls “pretty art”. “People like that buy for their homes; they look at the colours, medium and texture; if they ask us, we give them details about the artist’s profile. Rarely do they resell,” she says. Khanna states outright that “investing in art is not wise. Everything is fluctuating in today’s market. People should buy what appeals to them. And budding artists do not produce investment art.” If you’re looking at investing, stay with the masters, is her take. The subjective concept of appeal is significant, according to Bhattacharya too. “No art is bad art. People may not share the same sense of aesthetics. But that does not make a work bad or good. What you also need to appreciate is the struggle behind it, the effort it takes to produce a piece. Buyers in this category go for art that appeals to them.”

“Real collectors think hundred times before investing”, says Subramaniam. “What affordable art does is reach art to the public and middle class buyers do form a bigger segment than high value art buyers.”

So check out the galleries; get to know the upcoming artists and their work. See what fits your taste and budget. If you can pick up some of the smaller work by established artists, it’s a good thing. If not, don’t fret. Tomorrow’s masters are in the making.