Figuratives are easier to understand: Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

I have always been very passionate about art and started collecting paintings since mid-1980s, that is when I was able to afford to buy art.

My favourite painting is one by SG Vasudev which adorns my office room. It is called Yin and Yang, He and She. What is interesting about it is that it has got many dimensions. It is basically a painting which has wonderful colours, the composition is very striking and gives you the balance of life in general.

I generally prefer figurative art and am not so much into abstracts. I like landscapes, still life, basically forms which are easy to interpret. Though, I think abstracts are creative but sometimes the creativity in those are difficult to understand, so I generally prefer forms in paintings.

I like a lot of contemporary Indian artists and am very fond of artists like Yusuf Arakkal, MF Husain, Sunil Das, Jatin Das etc. Though, at the same time I have been collecting a lot of works by Scottish artists, largely with my husband, who happens to be from Scotland! Some of my favourite Scottish artists are Archie Forrest, George Devlin and James Fulton and some of their works adorn my office.

Despite my busy schedule, I always find time to see art or paintings and invest in them.


(Shaw is Chairman & MD, Biocon)