One 26/7 clinched the biggest deal in contemporary art business, and the next 26/7 almost marred it.
MUMBAI: One 26/7 clinched the biggest deal in contemporary art business, and the next 26/7 almost marred it. This 26/7, the deal is soaring high again.
A meeting on July 26, 2004, had resulted in the Rs100 crore-in-exchange-of-100 paintings deal between businessman Guru Swarup Srivastava and artist MF Husain.
But the same day next year, it was almost washed away in the deluge.
Twenty-five paintings of Our Planet Called Earth (OPCE) series—all 4ftx6 ft acrylic on canvas, based on the theme of global environmental degradation—had a close shave when water seeped into the safe custody department of IndusInd Bank’s Andheri branch, where they had been stored by Srivastava.
Alert bank officials quickly removed the collection from basement vaults, and today the originals are safe in insulated fireproof rolls with the bank.
“Our staff acted on time to rescue the paintings. I can’t divulge more details on the contents. But today, the articles are secured in the safe custody of the bank,” said Suresh Pai, IndusInd vice-president.
Recently, Husain has delivered his next batch of 10 paintings to Srivastava. The duo are getting ready to display the collection for the first time in India in an exhibition organised by Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi in the first week of September.
The paintings were first displayed at Pierre Cardin gallery, Paris, in November 2004.
Husain is in London and could not be contacted. But Srivastava is on a real high despite the master painter having failed to meet the deadline for delivering 100 paintings—September 2005.
Happy that the artist was painting at his own pace, Srivastava told DNA, “The cost of each painting has already jumped four times. Many buyers from Europe and America have contacted us. We have kept the reserved price of each painting to Rs4.5 crore.”
The businessman is planning state-of-the-art security for the New Delhi exhibition—not only for the paintings, but also for Husain who had been facing threats back home for “obscenity” in his works.
The Husain exhibition has already created ripples in the art world. “Any work of Husain creates excitement in the art world. A full-fledged exhibition of his is good news. There is so much mystery attached to him,” said Shirin Gandhi of Gallery Chemould.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=tracking}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}