Art lovers empty their pockets at the Kochi Biennale Foundation’s fundraiser auction

The Kochi Biennale Foundation's fundraiser auction held in Mumbai on Tuesday saw art lovers engage in a fierce fight to take home their precious beauties. Dinesh Vazirani, co-founder of Saffronart which collaborated with the event, says, "Around 200 people attended and the good will in the room was evident."

All eyes were on the works donated by 40 Indian artists. While Vazirani declines to reveal which item went to whom, Poonam Bhagat Shroff, philanthropist and founding member of Asia Society, supposedly splurged a whopping Rs 55 lakh on an NS Harsha painting.

Among the most aggressive bidders were Alex Kuruvilla, CEO of a publishing group, Sunita and Vijay Choraria, founders of ArtC, Ashutosh Pathak, composer and co-founder of Blue Frog and Ashiesh Shah, architect and interior designer.

Vazirani also reveals that a Thukral and Tagra painting which was eventually auctioned for Rs 5,50,000, and a Gigi Scaria painting, with a winning bid for Rs 1,40,000, brought out a hot competitive spirit amongst bidders.

An artwork by NS Harsha


One of the paintings by Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra