Canvas casts its net wider

KOLKATA: ‘Go online’ seems to be the latest mantra of art galleries. Based on feedback, online exhibits are growing 20-30% every year. And, as things stand, sales volumes and buyer inquiries have seen a quantum jump of between 400% and 500%.

“Today, the Indian population spread across the US, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai among other places are active buyers of Indian art. They also do a lot of research on the web and look for works. The most important thing is that these people, from all over the world, can have access to these shows now. This accessibility does not happen when it is an onground show. It gets restricted to the city where the show is held,” an art market source told ET.

According to the source, online shows have essentially gathered steam over the last two to three years. This is because, during this period, Indians have become increasingly aware of the contemporary art scene. Besides, over the last five years the country’s diaspora abroad has turned tremendously wealthy.

“The online format also pushes up sales and buyers inquiries by 400-500%. The big-ticket sales transpire in the international hubs like New York as underscored by the September auctions every year by Christie’s and Sotheby’s. Galleries can reach out to these centres by going online,” the source said.

Despite the rise in online format, quality exhibits still number between eight and 10 per show. This is on account of the lack of availability of top-end works. Except for resales, high-quality paintings rarely circulate in the market.

In this context, it may be worthwhile to mention that Mumbai-based The Arts Trust is staging a top-of-the-drawer online show titled Masterclass. The exhibit features works by doyens like MF Husain, Anjolie Ela Menon, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Ganesh Pyne, J Swaminathan, Jogen Chowdhury, Krishen Khanna, Paritosh Sen, Ram Kumar, Shyamal Datta Ray, Suhas Ray, Sunil Das and Arup Das.

“We spent the last six months trying to source these paintings. Most of them are old pieces which have been farmed out by collectors. The show is already sold out. But, connecting with buyers, especially overseas, is a painstaking affair. We have to send out cards physically to the clients. And, only 2-3% get converted into actual buyers. The buyer population in the online shows is, of course, expanding by 20-30% annually,” Vikram Sethi, director, The Arts Trust, said.