Bengaluru: Art aficionado Abhishek Poddar began collecting art thirty years ago, making his way through the smattering of galleries in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Artists had very little representation at the time and building a collection meant tracking them down to their homes and studios, scattered across the country. Things have come a long way since.
This weekend, 41 pieces from Poddar Collection will star at Christie's Fourth India Sale in Mumbai, one of the most important auctions in the art world.
"I'm auctioning 41 pieces of art - a small part of my collection," said Poddar, whose gallery Tasveer, is one of the pillars of photography, both contemporary and turn of the century black and white. One of India's leading art patrons, his collection boasts the names of artists like Bhupen Khakhar, Manjit Bawa, Tyeb Mehta, Jogen Chowdhury and K.G. Subramanyan.
Poddar, born into a family of businessmen, with a yen for art like his father, Bimal, was raised amidst a collection of Raj-period landscapes, textiles and modern Indian works. He was only 14, a student at Doon, when he made friends with the legendary Maqbool Fida Husain. What went on to become a lifelong association began with a chance meeting on the street. "After that, I went on to build relationships with a number of artists, all of whom taught me about art. I have been very lucky that way," he said. One of these teachers, the renowned painter Manjit Bawa, still occupies pride of place in Poddar's office at Tasveer!
Through years of unwavering passion, Poddar, who still prefers to stay out of the limelight if he can, has made art a talking point in Bengaluru. And on Sunday as the bids pour in, the world will get to see just why!
