Art for investment

Indian contemporary and modern art have been a buzzword in the global media for some time now. Painters like Tyeb Mehta, S H Raza, F N Souza and M F Husain have been the flavour of art connoisseurs all over the world. Art is considered to be a safer investment bet than shares and stocks. Bid and Hammer will create a platform for taking Indian art into a global sphere.

The plan

Bangalore-based Bid and Hammer will have representative offices across India and major international cities by mid-2008. The auction house plans to hold three to four auctions a year between Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi, Dubai and New York, where the categories covered will primarily by modern and contemporary Indian art along with furniture, jewellery, silver, anatiquarian books, maps and prints, vintage cars, cricket and film memorabilia.

Authentic art

The auction house is a brain child of Maher Dadha, a passionate art connoisseur. The auction house will offer a wide spectrum of expertise like authentication, provenance, valuation, conservation and restoration across all major categories of fine and decorative arts and antiques - an arrangement currently unavailable in India.

Team of experts

The auction house has a team of experts comprising John R B Dabney (former Director, Phillips auctioneers), Prof Suresh Jayaram (artist and former principal, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath), Savita Apte (formerly head of Sotheby’s South Asian Art, London and New York), Dr Mohan Lal Nigam (former Director of Salar-Jung Museum) and Gaj Singh II, Maharaja of Jodhpur.

Dadha has already been approached by one of the top three auction houses of the world, headquartered in the UK and another reputed US-based auction house for the possibilities of an alliance.