It was in August 2008 when art circles in Delhi were buzzing with excitement when Sotheby’s showcased British artist Damien Hirst’s works in town. While connoisseurs saw this as a terrific opportunity to see contemporary world art in the domestic frontier, for the auction house it was a means to tap the unexplored potential in India. It has only been six months since and the number of foreign artists exhibiting in the country has been on a rise. “There is a lot of interest in international art,” notes Gaurav Assomull, CEO of Marigold Fine Art, as he glances at American artist Andy Warhol’s hand signed print titled Mao. The Announcement, that is part of the second show organised under his banner. As guests crowded before the work at his newly opened gallery in Sundar Nagar, Assomull added, “It has been sourced from Galerie Bel-Air in Geneva. It took us five months to obtain it, but I don’t mind the grind in getting these fabulous works

of art.”

Acting as indicator is the display suspended on the walls of the gallery, as part of the exhibition titled ‘The Genius of Perverspective’. While Salvador Dali’s miniature sculpture reproduction titled Woman Aflame occupied one corner, close to it was a Patrick Hughes mixed media work. French artist

Armand Pierre Fernandez’s violin and Jorg Doering’s canvases featuring icons like Marilyn Monroe, meanwhile, seem akin to the work that Assomull sourced for the inaugural show in August that took place at his gallery in The Claridges. “There is an attempt to showcase artists from different generations and also different mediums,” says Assomull, who recorded more than 90 per cent sale during the opening week of his inaugural show. While he hopes to repeat the success during the current exhibition, Assomull does confess that the slowdown in the market has changed things a bit. “So far we have been fortunate. Almost two to three works of art are being sold by our gallery each week and there has also been an appreciation in the price. Jorg Doring’s work has appreciated by seven per cent since the inaugural show and David Kracov is up by 4.5 per cent,” notes Assomull.

While the successful stint has him move from the smaller 300 sq ft gallery at The Claridges Hotel to the 850 sq ft gallery in Sundar Nagar, also on his agenda is a gallery in Mumbai that is scheduled to open in September. In March, meanwhile, he will make a debut in Mumbai with an exhibition at The Viewing Room. “This will help us know the Mumbai market better,” he smiles, promising to showcase several international artists in India —- renowned and lesser-known.