Mumbai's Pundole Art Gallery opens public auction house

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 Pundolersquos can be intimidating largely because of its tall glass door and a security guard posted 24x7 outside the Tanna House where it is locatedDadiba Pundole at Pundoles in Colaba Pic Bipin KokateThe 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 ldquoEvery corner has a personal touchrdquo says Dadiba Pundole who heads the auction house with his small team of experts ldquoThis is an intimate space unlike the Pundole Art Gallery where everything was open to the publicrdquoDifferent strokesBut isnrsquot a gallery essentially a public space ldquoYesrdquo 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 massesThe Pundolersquos auction house is located in the same space which was earlier home to the Sakshi Gallery PicsBipin KokateHe explains the difference ldquoAt the Fountain we were in front of the street Many visitors were officegoers they would drop by to see art works in their lunch breaks Some would randomly walk in to take a lookrdquo adding ldquoI wouldnrsquot mind that approach here too but with an auction house itrsquos 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 donrsquot blame children because they like to touch but at times I find adults running a finger over everything on the wall This is not goodrdquo he ruesBack to the pastWhen Dadiba joined Pundole in the 1980s there wasnrsquot much money in art but artists were secure about themselves and their style he finds this missing in the current generation ldquoMany of the Indian masters mdash Husain SH Raza FN Souza KH Ara VS Gaitonde Ram Kumar Akbar Padamsee Krishen Khanna Tyeb Mehta among others mdash worked in Mumbai at the same time They would go to each otherrsquos 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 sharingrdquo he emphasisesHe reveals how times have changed ldquoNobody 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 understandrdquoHoarderrsquos paradiseDadiba 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 ldquoWe have a huge art heritage but why is most of it away from the public eye Indians donrsquot like to share We like to hoard People buy more than they need stacking them awayrdquo he saysWith the auction house Dadiba hopes to bring collectorsrsquo works to the public ldquoWe are a auction house but our doors are open to the public for viewingrdquo Pundolersquos intends to host at least two auctions a year and host art workshops throughout the year