It was raining and pouring art during New York’s Asian Contemporary Art Week with art events, auctions, seminars and parties at the auction houses, many of the major art galleries and museums. Collectors, dealers, art lovers and artists wandered from location to location with a sense of purpose.
One of the events they stopped in at was The Modern Masterworks exhibition at R.L Fine Arts hosted by Peter Louis and Chandru Ramchandani. Guests included collectors Payal Chaudhri, Shamina Talyarkan, Dr. Satish Singla, Haresh and Nanwani, Vanita Mirchandani and Jayshree Tolani.
Indian contemporary art is certainly getting interest in many parts of the world and the collectors included from Mexico and from Spain. Indian art is still well priced and westerners simply love the unbelievable color and imagery, so reminiscent of India.
After admiring the superb collection which included works by Husain, Raza, Souza and Ram Kumar (together worth a whopping $ 7 million, including Raza’s La Terre, which was priced at $ 3 million) the guests moved on to an after-opening dinner. They walked in the nippy night from the gallery on 19th street to Ilili, a warm and atmospheric Lebanese restaurant where the frenetic collectors, curators and art connoisseurs could really unwind.
Intimate circles formed on the low seating in this dark and cozy lounge as art stories, gossip and tips were swapped, wine flowed and guests nibbled on an unending outpouring of spicy kebabs, hummus and other Middle Eastern delicacies. Some guests left early because the next day would be more of the same as Asia Art Week continued with gallery openings, get-togethers and parties. Appreciating art is such hard work!
© Lavina Melwani
Photos: R.L. Fine Arts
1 Comment
I love Ram Kumar’s works very much.