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when he designed toys and nursery furniture at a store called Fantasy Furniture Shop in Mumbai. These toys, which
are quite unlike the type of art Husain is normally associated with, have a child‒like quality and innocence to them,
and are bearers of his personal memories with his children. We were drawn to the significance of this parallel journey
that we felt we shared with the artist.
Our interest in contemporary art, on the other hand, stems from personal relationships with the artists that we have
built over the years. We’ve been privy to their thought process, and the changing shifts in their artistic evolution,
which made us want to be a part of it. Their position in the history and canon of Indian art is relatively new, but our
personal history with the artist has been a long one. In a way, we are personally invested in their stories. A few years
ago, while on sabbatical, I had the privilege of spending time with A Balasubramaniam at his home in the village of
Nellai, Tamil Nadu. Our travels together further cemented our friendship, and this small chapter came to represent
the special bond between artist and patron that is rarely seen today.
Working in the art industry, Minal and I have come across
many important and brilliant works that captured our
collective imagination completely. As auctioneers, we
want the world to see them and appreciate them like
we do and give them the perfect home. Conversely, the
right aesthetic can transform any living space and bring a
whole room together. The most enduring example of this
is the streamlined, egalitarian furniture of Pierre Jeanneret
– an architect whose name is synonymous with modernist
design in India. Jeanneret’s legacy to architecture, design
and urban planning in India has long been recognised
among experts and enthusiasts but has only recently
gained popularity in the mainstream. Once ignored – even
discarded – Pierre Jeanneret’s furniture is now one of the
most coveted collectible items globally. Of course, there
is a universal appeal to timeless design – an obvious one
to the discerning collector – that is abound in the many
objects of beauty in this catalogue, from jewellery and
gem‒studded accessories to luxury watches, timepieces,
and pens.
Minal and I rarely differ in our aesthetic tastes, but we bring different perspectives to the table, which only enriches
our collection and our home. Our motto is, buy what you like, and it will complement your home. Because living
with art is a privilege, and collecting art is like completing a puzzle, where every item in a collection neatly fits in
with another, all the while building up to a beautiful, larger picture.
The 85 lots in this catalogue – which span the
spectrum of various collectible categories – represent my vision of an ideal, carefully cultivated collection. It is
the first iteration of Saffronart’s new series of tastemaker auctions, which we hope will prove to be an insightful
guide, as well as an inspiration into your own journey of collecting.
Dinesh Vazirani with A Balasubramaniam and his son
A selection of antiquities at Dinesh Vazirani's home