Hyderabad Art Catches Bowrings' Interest

Hyderabad artists can now celebrate. Bowrings Fine Art Auctioneers, India's first full-fledged auction house, is keenly looking at the city as an important source of art material for auctions as well as several prominent art collectors.

What's more, the company is planning to open an office here soon. Bowrings opened its head office in Delhi in August, and is following with its first sale on November 5 at The Oberoi Hotel in Delhi, and already has plans of other sales in 2002. "The company sees expansion of the company’s network as a gradual process as business grows and will react to market conditions as new opportunities are encountered," Mr Patrick Bowring, Deputy Chairman, told ET.

As a beginning, the company has picked up a work by artist Laxma Goud for the November sale. "Princess," is a figurative painting, in the tempera medium, estimated at a value of Rs 90,000 to Rs 1,20,000.

The total estimate for the auction is roughly between Rs 3-4 Crore Rupees, and we would hope to realise sales of around Rs 2 crore. The sale will include paintings, photographs, glass, silver, porcelain, Oriental works of Art and alabaster and marble statues. The sale is designed to illustrate the broad range of items, which the company will be selling throughout the year in India, he says.

As far as collectors are concerned, Bowrings will be encouraging the creation of private and corporate collections all over the country, including Hyderabad, Mr Bowring adds.