For others, however, the process of assimilating the Indian buyer is an expected bump in the road to a more mature market. “The country has to build up its own culture, especially with contemporary art, before they can start to look outside,” says Peter Nagy, owner of Nature Morte in New Delhi. Nagy, who hosts the occasional non-Indian show, says they are a poor commercial prospect, but that “it’s a natural way the art market develops”. As evidence, he points to New York, where non-American art wasn’t really accepted until the 1970s.
Until that happens, international gallerists lured by the promise of a thriving market, also appear to be hedging their bets. “If I would bring only American artists, it would be a little more problematic,” says Thomas Erben, owner of Thomas Erben Gallery in New York, which will occupy Chatterjee and Lal in Mumbai in August. “But, if I bring in a mixture, I feel more confident.”
Tags - Find More Articles On: