The India Art Fair ART EXPO INDIA 2009 at Nehru Centre DAY-1

It was 25th sept. 2009 , at around 11 am started a special Preview for invited people ART EXPO INDIA 2009, the much-awaited event on India’s art calendar, has been held at Nehru Centre, Mumbai last week. The who’s who of the art world including renowned artists, art experts, collectors, patrons and aspiring investors thronged the venue to celebrate the throbbing spirit of modern and contemporary Indian art.

Art Expo India aims to offer the wave of new Indian talent a perfect launch pad on the domestic and international market. An encouragement to young painters so that collectors notice them coupled with a boost to the culture of value-based investing in art is reflected in AEI’s program, which features a series of insightful talks on art related themes.

Acknowledged for her insight of contemporary art trends, Kay Saatchi discussed the nuances of the fine art of collecting art in conversation with in the inaugural session. She has co-curated several exhibitions for the Saatchi Collection. She vigorously promotes young artists in her role as the founding director of the Artists and Collectors Exchange.

Art expert Mallika Sagar Advani conversed with Kay Saatchi who elaborated on the intricate maze of relationships between an artist and a collector, between a dealer and an artist, and a dealer and a collector, hinting that the interlinking of interests has to be based on trust. She provided valuable tips on becoming a successful collector and also offered tips to aspiring curators and gallery owners

During her conversation with Mallika Sagar Advani at the inaugural talk session at Art Expo India 2009, art expert Kay Saatchi revealed at the outset that anticipation is the key when it comes to building your art collection.

She added: “The process involves immense amount of groundwork – visiting art schools, checking out shows at art galleries, spotting the new talent, and finding out who are the next art stars.” She narrated how she studied close to 600 artists’ works to pick her top 20 as part of a similar such exercise.

What are the attributes to watch out for in an emerging artist, she was asked, According to Kay Saatchi, coupled with a certain amount of skill, what she looks for is the artist’s commitment and passion to make art. Integrity and determination are necessary along with the natural talent, she emphasized.

Mallika Sagar Advani’s pertinent queries regarding the current complex dynamics of contemporary art and its evolving structure prompted responses from Kay Saatchi based on her deep understanding and practical experience. The conversation also touched upon various aspects like her role as a curator, her involvement in an artist’s career, the broader market mechanics, the transition to auction dominated art market from a gallery dominated one, the changed norms of collecting, maintaining and upgrading an art collection.

The moderator also tracked Kay Saatchi’s own evolution as an art collector-curator, seeking her opinion on things that create value in an artwork. It was an engrossing and entertaining discussion as Priyanka Sethi summed it up at the end, stating: “The conversation was stimulating, honest and extremely informative. The more, we think, we know about the art world, we find something new, something more interesting and something more exciting, and something even shocking every time. That’s the beauty and joy of art.” But then we need helping hand from experts like Mallika Sagar Advani and Kay Saatchi to discover it.


The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India Mumbai and India Art Summit New Delhi.