Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

The Summit Without Oxygen

September 1, 2009 by Marion Maneker

Ashna_Singh_JaipuriaMuch of the response to The Indian Art Summit has been programmatic and boosterish. That may have been the real story of the recessionary fair. Or something more textured and realistic might have taken place.  Zehra Jumabhoy tells it like it is in ArtForum’s Scene & Herd column:

Last year, Mumbai’s big-wig dealers largely boycotted the fair, opting instead to “wait and watch,” but this round they turned up en masse, putting their best (if more casually shod) feet forward. Sakshi Gallery showed off a glittering El Anatsui installation featuring bottle-caps woven to resemble silk. Sharmistha Ray of Bodhi Art sat determinedly next to Hujoom, Gargi Raina’s wooden sculpture of a decapitated horse, and staved off rumors of closure. International galleries making forays into the Indian art market were out in full force, too. London’s Lisson Gallery arrived with two metal discs by Anish Kapoor: One ice blue, the other fire-engine red, they resembled giant sequins.

Indian Art Summit 1

Not everyone was bubbling with good humor (or sparkling wine). “It’s a bad year,” grumbled one disgruntled dealer. “People are just putting a good face on things.” Others were disappointed with Sinha’s section, which they argued, privileged trendiness over artistic merit. Subodh Gupta’s comment on war, Gandhi’s Three Monkeys made up of three massive heads—one of a soldier, another of a burka-draped person, and the third of a man in a gas mask—built from the artist’s signature pots and pans, was probably not selected for its subtlety. And Sinha’s much-anticipated video lounge consisted mostly of shorts by artists better known (quite justifiably, it turned out) for their work in other media.

Indian Art Summit 2

Notwithstanding mutterings of “Let’s see whether our new collectors pay up,” the fair was largely deemed a success. By the end, Sunil Gautam of Hanmer MS&L guessed that nearly forty thousand people had walked through. Were they buying? At the very least, we know the two Kapoors were snapped up. “Expectations were surpassed,” reiterated Mortimer Chatterjee, co-owner of Chatterjee & Lal. Most of the fifty-four galleries jubilantly professed to having largely sold out their booths. Gautam himself could be spotted ecstatically shaking hands and promising an “even better” fair next year. The Summit might have been cautious in its scaling of artistic heights, but it provided a much-needed boost to the Indian art scene in recessionary times. “The tide is turning,” yelled New York dealer Thomas Erben as he whizzed off to a celebratory dinner.

Chit Chaat (Scene&Herd/ArtForum)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Goldberg Cashes Out at Christie'sGoldberg Cashes Out at Christie's
  • Luxembourg Wants a FreeportLuxembourg Wants a Freeport
  • New Perspectives on Old Masters at TEFAFNew Perspectives on Old Masters at TEFAF
  • Artelligence for January 29, 2018Artelligence for January 29, 2018
  • Cleveland Museum Pays Restitution for Disputed Old Master DrawingCleveland Museum Pays Restitution for Disputed Old Master Drawing
  • Larry Rivers Sculpture Run Out of Sag HarborLarry Rivers Sculpture Run Out of Sag Harbor

Filed Under: Art Fairs

About Marion Maneker

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

Top Posts

  • Rare Photo Album by Dutch Street Photographer Bought at Auction by Rijksmuseum
  • Keith Haring’s 1989 Retrospect Comes to Sotheby’s London Prints Sale
  • Norman Rockwell's Not Gay. But Is He a Great Artist?
  • The Brandeis-Madoff Connection
  • Four of Picasso's Women Valued at $28m Come to Christie's from Rose-Walters Collection
  • David Hockney's $20m Pacific Coast Highway & Santa Monica
  • Christie's Announces $70m Picasso Self Portrait
  • Tony Podesta's Secret Art Buying
  • Roy Lichtenstein’s Top Ten Auction Prices
  • Phillips Includes $2.5m Norman Rockwell Painting in November Evening Sale
  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor