Pundole Art Gallery, one of Mumbai's oldest, recently opened a new art space in Colaba that’s home to its auction house, Pundole’s. Hassan M Kamal spoke to its head Dadiba Pundole about their plans
Five decades after being a landmark art space at Flora Fountain, the Pundole Art Gallery, has added a new art space. This time, the Pundoles have set up an auction house, in Colaba. For those who have visited Pundole Art Gallery, the new auction house space called Pundole’s, can be intimidating, largely because of its tall glass door and a security guard posted 24x7 outside the Tanna House, where it is located.
Dadiba Pundole at Pundole's in Colaba. Pic/ Bipin Kokate
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The space is bigger, and is divided into four smaller rooms, each emerging from the central hall like branches of a tree, each with a distinct colour and character. “Every corner has a personal touch,” says Dadiba Pundole, who heads the auction house with his small team of experts. “This is an intimate space, unlike the Pundole Art Gallery, where everything was open to the public.”
Different strokes
But isn’t a gallery, essentially a public space? “Yes,” he replies, standing beside a towering MF Husain work. Though located amid art spaces like Jehangir Art Gallery and the NGMA, Pundole says, he would miss the advantage that made Pundole Art Gallery so popular among the masses.
The Pundole’s auction house is located in the same space, which was earlier home to the Sakshi Gallery. Pics/Bipin Kokate
He explains the difference, “At the Fountain, we were in front of the street. Many visitors were office-goers; they would drop by to see art works in their lunch breaks. Some would randomly walk in to take a look,” adding, “I wouldn’t mind that approach here too, but with an auction house, it’s different: so much work is on display. We need to be alert, we need security. Besides, we need to work on our viewing manners. I don’t blame children, because they like to touch, but at times, I find adults running a finger over everything on the wall. This is not good,” he rues.
Back to the past
When Dadiba joined Pundole, in the 1980s, there wasn’t much money in art, but artists were secure about themselves and their style; he finds this missing in the current generation. “Many of the Indian masters — Husain, SH Raza, FN Souza, KH Ara, VS Gaitonde, Ram Kumar, Akbar Padamsee, Krishen Khanna, Tyeb Mehta among others — worked in Mumbai at the same time. They would go to each other’s studios, exchange ideas, discuss works. When an artist was working on something new he would share it with the rest, and get clarity by talking to people. There was a lot of sharing,” he emphasises.
He reveals how times have changed, “Nobody wants to share anything. This insecurity never existed earlier. Artists worked so closely, yet their work was distinctly different. Each had their style. That is something I am grappling to understand.”
Hoarder’s paradise
Dadiba believes that collecting art is about belief, but slowly, it can turn into a disease. This, he maintains, is one of the main reasons why India sees less of art in public spaces. “We have a huge art heritage, but why is most of it away from the public eye? Indians don’t like to share. We like to hoard. People buy more than they need, stacking them away,” he says.
With the auction house, Dadiba hopes to bring collectors’ works to the public. “We are a auction house, but our doors are open to the public for viewing.” Pundole’s intends to host at least two auctions a year and host art workshops throughout the year.
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