Collecting is all about defining one’s core objectives

India on the global art market is still new phenomenon. A majority of Indian art buyers have probably been in the domain for not more than a decade or so. Obviously they are in the process of learning about art and collecting.

In this context, an essay on the secrets of successful collecting focuses on aspects like concentrating on a chosen few artists vis-à-vis diversifying your portfolio. It has been penned by Nirmalya Kumar, professor of marketing and co-director at the Aditya Birla India Centre, LBS (London Business School). Based on his experience, the writer offers a valuable piece of advice, advocating s that one should be clear about one’s objectives of collecting.

The writer mentions: “If you buy art as an investment, diversify the portfolio. In contrast, a collector is driven by passion. With Jamini Roy, quintessentially the Indian modern artist I view myself as a custodian more than the owner of his works. The artist’s absorption of tradition and its subsequent transformation into the modern get demonstrated in the ‘widow’.

“The sweeping lines that encompass large areas of fast filled in flat bright color come from the Kalighat paintings. Yet the lines demonstrate the mastery of brush, the sophistication, and above all his genius and magic. Painted probably in the 1940s, it has what every art collector covets: rarity, quality, and content. The work is part of the country’s heritage, and the market value of the works is rather irrelevant.”

Secondly, the big idea in collecting art is to ‘limit’ yourself, and only then can your portfolio become something worthwhile. Elaborating on the concept, the writer states: “Unrelated paintings by different artists would be interesting, but not really unique. To make it a meaningful, the collection must be more than the sum of its parts. Its uniqueness is decided by the quality of the core concept.”