[ MONDAY, APRIL 09, 2007 02:13:11 AM]KOLKATA: Many art galleries have invariably sported an interesting facet — they have played the role of consultants to collectors. In the earlier days, the climate was much more informal than the professionalised atmosphere that has taken over new-age galleries.
“From the time galleries have started, they have been acting as guides to art collectors. The gallery-collector relationship was very strong at that time. In fact, the galleries were sometimes set up by major collectors themselves. So, the collectors displayed artists in their galleries and often acquired a part of the works.
At the same time, they also induced their friends and contemporaries to buy art. For this, the gallery owners readily extended the relevant advice. Business was not the real motive in those days. It was just for the love of art,” an art market source told ET.
In that climate, artists also expected little sales of their works and carried on with painting because they were deeply attached to their profession. The only avenue was the occasional exhibition by the galleries and the purchases by collectors who were advised by the gallery owners.
“In the process, all these stakeholders — gallery owners, artists and collectors — became good friends and created an art community. This fraternity flourished mainly in Mumbai and Delhi, followed by Kolkata and Chennai,” the source said. “This group has become wealthy now because of the quantum jump in art prices.”
In the late 90s, as the Indian art market was gradually picking up and going global through overseas auctions, individuals with deep pockets invested heavily in putting up lavish galleries and honing their consultancy services. And, at times, the consultancy comes at a price. Now, there are enough galleries and art consultants to advise corporates, hotels and major collectors on the artworks they should source.
The recent price rise has come as a boost to the consultancy activities. Now, anyone buying art, projects the sort of appreciation he or she would derive over the next 1-3 years. As a result, consulting activities have extended into art curation and organising exhibitions. Some hotels even appoint consultants to advise them on purchasing artworks and installing them in suitable spaces in the properties. These consultants are known to earn hefty amounts from this activity.
“The newly-arrived collectors depend on consultancy from galleries to build their collection. But apart from galleries, some art critics have also started playing a major role because a large percentage of buyers pick up a work of art for the short term. Thus, there are a lot of people looking for advisory services. The earlier buyers acquired works for the long term and normally did not sell in a hurry. Therefore, their approach to sourcing consultancy was different. Even abroad, most collectors buy for the long term,” the source added.
According to him, a few of the older galleries possess large databases because of the string of exhibitions they have staged. Some like Art Heritage and Chitrakoot Art Gallery house a sizeable library of art books for the benefit of art collectors. The new galleries can, of course, draw on internet for a huge amount of information.
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