While auctions are definitely the high water mark for our art, galleries are no longer mere shops to sell wares. Gallery owners are now spending a lot of time and money to present and promote artists and art. Even young artists no longer find it difficult to get a gallery that is willing to provide them with a catalogue and a write-up by an art critic that allows them documentation from the beginning of their careers.
Art criticism, too, no longer dwells on mere turns of phase but reflects an analysis of an artist?s place in the history of our contemporary art or of the trends an artist relates to and makes an original contribution to.
Once more, it is evident that these trends are not like fashions that change with seasons but a considered process of evolution of tastes. And tastes evolve over time. As such, they have little to do with hype and motivated projection.
This was evident from the recent exhibition of K S Kulkarni by Arushi Arts in Delhi. The gallery has acquired a series of good works of his from his daughter Padmini Malhotra, which they are displaying at the moment, 11 years after his death. And it is not surprising that the interest in his art is becoming stronger with each passing year. Kulkarni?s work is already in a number of galleries. There are works of his at the Kumar Gallery, Art Konsult, Ganesha and Art Pilgrim, to name only a few. This assures one that his art will not be forgotten. In fact, there are sound reasons to expect that his art will rise in price in the coming period.
The most important reason for this is that he is closest in style and execution to the artists of the Mumbai group, and among them to F N Souza whose canvases are now available at no less than Rs 1 crore. He too hails from South Western India like Souza and has been influenced by the folk and erotic art traditions of the region. Like Souza, he too was inspired by Picasso and Bracque, as well as by Pahari miniature tradition.
Apart from this, he was an artist who sought out new forms to express himself by ensuring that his work would continue to interest collectors even after his death. Kulkarni?s canvases still sell at Rs 3 lakh-8 lakh , while paper works are now selling between Rs 1.50 lakh-Rs 2.40 lakh. So, there is reason to expect his prices to go up by three-four times in the next year.
This expectation is not far fetched, as his work is available with a cross-section of people and is in enough quality to interest the investor. Moreover, as there is no question of more works being produced, the price can continue to rise. Of course, the only thing is to ensure proper provenance and authentication of the work which is essential when an artist is no longer alive.
Gallery owners, too, would be well advised to photograph and document the works they are selling at present as it will ensure their sale at higher prices later as they will be authenticated. If a proper tally of Kulkarni?s work is made by all dealers and galleries that stock his work at present, this will help limit the production of fakes when his works rise in price.
Without this systematic exercise it is not likely that the price of this artist?s work will rise to the heights expected of it. This happened with Jamini Roy because of his belief in atelier production and also as a result of which fakes of his works flooded the market after his death. Kulkarni is not known for having used assistance in his paintings and his hand has a clear facility not only where lines are concerned, but also with drawing and colour. While not many fakes of his are in the market as yet, he is a likely target for fakers in future, with his works being of growing interest to investors. The artist?s family, collectors, dealers and gallery owners should ensure that his due success should not be blighted because of careless marketing. Everyone participating in the market should have an interest in its development and not only in the profit it offers at the moment.