Nina Pillai's " Art"venture
Socialite Nina Pillai makes news yet again with her new baby, TRIVEDA—the second art auction house in India. The striking lady is all geared up to give a new dimension to Indian art in the domestic market and create a revolution on the international scene. Society meets the zealous lady.
“When we moved out of Singapore after Rajan’s death, I discovered that art gave me a sense of joy and continuity in life. I have always been an art lover and art collector. Through the highs and lows in my life, it has stayed with me as a constant source of strength,” says Nina Pillai, the attractive and vivacious widow of the Rajan Pillai who died in prison even as the government was investigating charges against him. Today, Nina has moved home from Mumbai to Delhi, has found a new companion, Hari Sastri and is involved in a brand new project—the setting up of an art auction house (a la Sotheby’s and Christie’s) in India.
Nina reveals, “In the late 80s and early 90s, Lord Carrington of Christie’s and Earl Gowrie of Sotheby’s had asked me to partner them to start auction houses in India. In most businesses, being ten years ahead is an advantage but it’s not so in art. At that time I felt the project was premature—only old India, the Tanjores and miniatures that evoked interest in the international market but now the preference is for contemporary Indian art. I feel now is the time to take Indian art to new heights, so I launched TRIVEDA.”
Nina heads the auction house while Hari Sastri and Janaki Ram are the other two promoters. It took the team a year-and-a-half to plan their strategy. Nina explains, “I have done an art appreciation course on 19th and 20th century art and was already into buying and selling art. I understand the art market. Now I am ready to do it on a professional scale. I spoke with Patrick Bowering whose son was my son’s classmate at Weatherby’s in London. I also consulted some more experts before finally setting up TRIVEDA. It will be the second auction house in India; the other being Neville Tuli’s Osian.”
Nina confesses that these are exciting times for Indian art. She points out, “Indians are buying the Maybach car which costs Rs 3.5 crore while you can get a large Swaminathan canvas for the same price. While a car depreciates the moment you drive it out of the showroom, the value of a painting could double in a couple of years! India’s heritage lies in her art. I feel contemporary Indian art is contemporary India—it’s vibrant, it has upward mobility and a never-say-die ethos. TRIVEDA will try to find the finest examples of the artist at a significant period in their life. At the moment there is nothing short of a revolution in the Indian art market—what used to cost Rs three lakh is today costing Rs three crore. If you invest in stocks, it will lie in a depository but buy a piece of art and you can enjoy it tangibly everyday even as it appreciates in value. What’s more, with the number of Indian billionaires in the Fortune 500, we can take Indian art to the stars. I am in favour of Indians being the moving force in Indian art.”
Besides paintings, TRIVEDA will also deal in jewellery, silver, antiques and such items. “We’ll also do insurance evaluations so that people have an idea of the value of their possessions. I have a friend who tore up three Ganesh Pyne sketches of Mother Teresa without knowing their value, which is around Rs 45 lakh,” says Nina and concludes, “At present, my two sons, Krishna and Shiva, don’t have much of a legacy to fall back on. I would like to create something for them. At the moment, I don’t know if they have a penchant for art. My elder son is more into music and wants to set up a radio station or a music channel. The younger one is still at school. As a single parent since 11 years, it has not been easy. It’s taken a toll. I lose myself in the world of art; it gives me so much joy.”
And that joy translates into a huge business enterprise.
“When we moved out of Singapore after Rajan’s death, I discovered that art gave me a sense of joy and continuity in life. I have always been an art lover and art collector. Through the highs and lows in my life, it has stayed with me as a constant source of strength,” says Nina Pillai, the attractive and vivacious widow of the Rajan Pillai who died in prison even as the government was investigating charges against him. Today, Nina has moved home from Mumbai to Delhi, has found a new companion, Hari Sastri and is involved in a brand new project—the setting up of an art auction house (a la Sotheby’s and Christie’s) in India.
Nina reveals, “In the late 80s and early 90s, Lord Carrington of Christie’s and Earl Gowrie of Sotheby’s had asked me to partner them to start auction houses in India. In most businesses, being ten years ahead is an advantage but it’s not so in art. At that time I felt the project was premature—only old India, the Tanjores and miniatures that evoked interest in the international market but now the preference is for contemporary Indian art. I feel now is the time to take Indian art to new heights, so I launched TRIVEDA.”
Nina heads the auction house while Hari Sastri and Janaki Ram are the other two promoters. It took the team a year-and-a-half to plan their strategy. Nina explains, “I have done an art appreciation course on 19th and 20th century art and was already into buying and selling art. I understand the art market. Now I am ready to do it on a professional scale. I spoke with Patrick Bowering whose son was my son’s classmate at Weatherby’s in London. I also consulted some more experts before finally setting up TRIVEDA. It will be the second auction house in India; the other being Neville Tuli’s Osian.”
Nina confesses that these are exciting times for Indian art. She points out, “Indians are buying the Maybach car which costs Rs 3.5 crore while you can get a large Swaminathan canvas for the same price. While a car depreciates the moment you drive it out of the showroom, the value of a painting could double in a couple of years! India’s heritage lies in her art. I feel contemporary Indian art is contemporary India—it’s vibrant, it has upward mobility and a never-say-die ethos. TRIVEDA will try to find the finest examples of the artist at a significant period in their life. At the moment there is nothing short of a revolution in the Indian art market—what used to cost Rs three lakh is today costing Rs three crore. If you invest in stocks, it will lie in a depository but buy a piece of art and you can enjoy it tangibly everyday even as it appreciates in value. What’s more, with the number of Indian billionaires in the Fortune 500, we can take Indian art to the stars. I am in favour of Indians being the moving force in Indian art.”
Besides paintings, TRIVEDA will also deal in jewellery, silver, antiques and such items. “We’ll also do insurance evaluations so that people have an idea of the value of their possessions. I have a friend who tore up three Ganesh Pyne sketches of Mother Teresa without knowing their value, which is around Rs 45 lakh,” says Nina and concludes, “At present, my two sons, Krishna and Shiva, don’t have much of a legacy to fall back on. I would like to create something for them. At the moment, I don’t know if they have a penchant for art. My elder son is more into music and wants to set up a radio station or a music channel. The younger one is still at school. As a single parent since 11 years, it has not been easy. It’s taken a toll. I lose myself in the world of art; it gives me so much joy.”
And that joy translates into a huge business enterprise.
posted by anil sharma @ 1:19 AM
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