CHENNAI : Art lovers and collectors have a reason to celebrate as the Rotary Club of Madras and Sotheby’s ‘Painting Lives’ exhibition is sure to be a delight for them. The exhibition features paintings and sculptures which are an eclectic mix of different strokes, styles and sensibilities. The exhibition features artworks by Arpana Caur, Redappa Naidu, Paresh Maity, Shakti Burman, Anjolie Ela Menon, Manjunath Kamath, Rekha Rodwittiya, Akkitham Narayanan and many other well-known names in addition to young and emerging talents from across the country.
“We wanted to bring more people into the fold by promoting affordable art,” said Hemu Ramaiah, a member of the Rotary Club of Madras, who along with Shanno Ravi and Sharan Apparao of Apparao Galleries, curated the exhibition. “Galleries tend to exhibit works of only one artist or a few artists who have collaborated on a project. Here, we have 170 different artists with varied styles and sensibilities on display, so we’re giving visitors more options to choose from.”
Emphasising the price factor, Hemu said that often galleries exhibit the works of well-known artists who charge more for their pieces. “We wanted to make art more accessible and affordable through this exhibition. Art is something that can transform spaces. You put up a piece of art in a room and you will not need anything else. We wanted to give people a wide range of artists to choose from to suit their sensibility and at affordable rates.”
The exhibition is divided into two segments — one features 60 works of established names that will be auctioned, and the other features 110 paintings of young and upcoming artists. Proceeds from the auction will go towards ongoing projects of the club which include construction of a school for children of Tsunami survivors.
The auction will take place on April 5, 6.30 pm, at Hyatt Regency. Those interested to take part can call 9884041020, 9841289637.The exhibition is on till April 10 at Acropolis.