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Ajit Gadgil’s office and residence, both, are home to his art collection, apart from the Zapurza Museum of Art & Culture, which he founded in 2022.Pic: Jignesh Mistry Some also came with Paithani saris that had gold threads. More than 25 years later, this curiosity and love for preservation grew into a museum-worthy collection. Today, the septuagenarian’s collection has grown to nearly 35,000 artefacts, and is spread across museums and his residence.
I wanted to focus only on Indian artists, including those who weren’t getting the recognition they deserved,” said Ajit. My collection has a direction,” said Vithal. I meet them, get to know them, and understand their work,” said Poulami, an artist herself. Nearly 90 per cent of her collection is dedicated to India’s traditional and folk arts, not because they are in “trend”, but because they carry generations of inherited knowledge.
Ajit realised that many of those designs were rare and would probably never be created again. Thus, began his journey as an art collector. He eventually started collecting lithographs, paintings, and sculptures. “There was never any strategic planning. It was simply love for art. He founded an art and culture museum where many of his collected art finds a home. He didn’t limit his collection to galleries, and many of his collected art came from old bazaars across India, where they had been discarded as scrap. Antiquarian Dr Vithal Indira Venkatesh Kamat has spent six decades collecting art that might have otherwise vanished or was not considered art until it began disappearing. Think utensils, household tools, religious and mythological idols, statues, and others. His fascination began when he was seven and was gifted a laddu Gopal idol and a few gold coins by his mother. But the hotelier prefers not to call himself a collector. “I am simply a custodian, as my collection isn’t for my family but for all Indians. I don’t collect everything, but everyday art. For Poulami Jagtap, collecting art is shaped by her instinct to understand the artist first. “I first select the artist and then choose the artwork. It’s this emotional connection that drives the art she purchases. “There’s a sense of familiarity and solidarity. It’s more like, ‘I see you, and appreciate you,’” shared Poulami. “The beauty of the visual medium is that it’s universally accessible and moving. It doesn’t have to have a high-brow concept,” she added. What are some of the highlights in her collection as of now? A National Award-winning Madhubani artist’s work, a Sohrai painting from an award-winning artist from Jharkhand, traditional Thanjavur paintings from Tamil Nadu, and a one-of-a-kind black-and-white Pattachitra from Odisha that she couldn’t resist buying despite stretching her budget. While Poulami dreams of eventually owning works by masters like the late S.H. Raza and FN Souza, to her supporting living artists remains equally fulfilling. It doesn’t have to have a high-brow concept Price of collecting: Price of collecting: At the top end of the market, prices can run into tens or even hundreds of crores, particularly for rare works by established modernist and historical masters. Recent auction records illustrate the scale of the market, although such sales represent a very small segment of collecting.
In fact, he once travelled nearly 1,100 kms to collect one antique piece. In all, she has added nearly 150-200 pieces to Vithal’s collection.
“There was a sibling duo who gave me at least 15-20 pieces after visiting my museum,” he recalled. “Every time she goes to Konkan, she brings back unique pieces,” said Vithal. Among his collections are vajris , which are traditional bronze and brass foot scrubbers that were commonly used before footwear came into the picture. He has spent decades tracking artefacts down across the country- from remote villages to old markets and houses of individuals. Over the years, his collection has also grown through people. Another woman from Konkan became a regular contributor to his collection. Among them are traditional cooking utensils, including a modak patra . “Collecting antiques isn’t easy. Preserving them is even more difficult,” shared Vithal. What made his journey of collecting more special was when his mother battled dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, and he began showing her old household objects, asking her to identify them. Slowly, his mother’s forgotten memories resurfaced, making him realise that art doesn’t just survive history but can also preserve memory.