AFP covers the opening of a new blue-chip gallery in Mumbai that the owners emphasize is about building a full-time gallery presence for Indian artists. The now constant refrain in Indian art is the complaint that the sub-continent lacks the necessary infrastructure to promote and support its artists:

Bose Krishnamachari, Devaunshi and Dia Mehta and Yash and Avan Birla last week opened Gallery BMB, hoping to kickstart the sector by showcasing the best of Indian and international contemporary art under one roof. […] Gallery BMB aims to be a London- or New York-style blue chip gallery that will focus more on artists, students, connoisseurs and collectors rather than investors out to make money. […]

India has a legacy of artwork dating back 9,000 years but has lacked the infrastructure and institutional support to develop its potential on the world stage. The country has only a handful of prominent galleries for thousands of artists and only a few crumbling museums, most of them built during the British colonial period. Art schools and public funds are also lacking.

But with India looking to follow the lead of China and win international acclaim for its domestic art, [Saffronart founder Dinesh] Vazirani said new spaces like Gallery BMB could pave the way. He predicted that at least half a dozen new galleries could spring up in the next few years, with backing from people like the Birlas and Mehtas, whose families are part of India’s business elite.

“In the next five years, we will see a very different market where there are actually public displays of art on a continuous basis. That was lacking during the boom period,” he said.

India’s New Galleries Look to Beat Recession Blues (AFP)