Foreign galleries eye the Indian art mart

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As the India Art Fair concluded its fifth edition, the participation of over 100 galleries from 24 countries over 20,000 sq mtrs of exhibition space saw some interesting global artworks. With approximately 40 international galleries in attendance this time, the big art houses from the West are now looking East for business deals. However, tough laws and lack of proper insurance polices are making the Indian art market not an easy ground for foreign players.

Tana Latoree of Imaginart art gallery from Barcelona, on her second visit to the art fair, reveals that the dip in sales in Europe has prompted them to concentrate on the Indian market. “We have got prints of Picasso, Dali and Miro with their original signatures. We have also got artworks of two contemporary artists: Pedro Ruiz and Jesus Bordetas. We couldn’t get the original works of the masters because of the high risk involved in the transfer,” she says.
However, Peter Femfert of Die Galerie from Frankfurt, who has brought some original masterpieces by Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso, feels that the Indian custom duties should be more relaxed for foreign art galleries. He mentions, “I have been visiting IAF for past three years and we get good business here. We have got 60 pieces of art including original etchings and lithographs of Picasso and a few paintings by Dali. The difficulty we face each time is that the Indian government levies 45 per cent taxes on the artwork that we get here. If India wants to promote its art market the laws of export and import should be lenient.”
The Bruno Gallery of Israel, which made a grand debut at the IAF with striking floral cow metal artworks of Israeli artist David Gerstein, was more than happy to be a part of this exhibit. Dave Rayos, the art consultant of this group from Singapore, informs, “We are very happy to be here. This time we are representing three master artists, and we showcased their selected installations and paintings. Gerstein’s artworks are very popular as they are metal-layered installations done in laser cut and hand-painted by car paints. Artist Yaacov Agam’s kinetic art, representing motion with polymorph medium with the 4D concept, is also in high demand. Bringing these artworks to India was tough, but the organisers took care of the transfers so we were not too hassled.”
As everything boils down to “good business” in the end, Carolina Constantino of Praxis International Art, says their participation next time depends on the profits. She says, “It’s our first time at the IAF and we have got works of five Latin American artists. We have 11 paintings, photographs and a few installations by contemporary artists. Only if we get good business will we come next time.”