The next chapter of Art Mumbai

In 2000, when Minal Vazirani co-founded Saffronart, for many Indians buying a painting meant buying blind. “Access to information was limited,” she recalls. “It was difficult for a buyer to understand the market, research an artist or assess the value of a work.

Public pricing information was not readily available.” A quarter century later, buyers across the country have auction archives, digital catalogues, and the research of galleries and institutions worldwide within easy reach. They have changed, too. International interest has grown, more female buyers have emerged, tastes have shifted, interest in buying art has bypassed socio-economic standing, and the very intent behind collecting has morphed.

When Art Mumbai opens its fourth edition at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse on November 12, with 94 exhibitors — 73 of them Indian and 21 international — it is this new buyer the fair is counting on. Who is buying now?