Both biz & buzz at Art of India launch in city

Back in 2002, a Tyeb Mehta work from The Times of India collection raised the bar by becoming the first Indian painting to sell for more than a crore. It was aptly titled Celebration, and now it’s celebration time again with The Art of India exhibition opening in Delhi on Friday.

The capital’s art fraternity turned up in strength to mark the occasion at Bikaner House. Most of them were struck by the diversity on display. Not only in terms of artists as established stars rubbed canvases with emerging names, but also the sheer array of mediums. If visitors could scan QR codes to explore a new, cutting-edge dimension to art, they could also admire S H Raza’s mastery over colours or soak in Manu Parekh’s Banaras.

Amitabh Kant, former Niti Aayog CEO and G20 Sherpa, appreciated the top-class artwork on display from Paresh Maity to Bose Krishnamachari to Satish Gupta. “I am truly delighted that TOI is promoting art in such a big way. Indian art is still very undervalued. Its value in the international market needs to go up very substantially so that artists can benefit, and India’s soft power can go up,” he said.

AOI is on at Bikaner House (LTC) till April 13.

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