Srila Chatterjee on collecting art for love, not resale value

Srila Chatterjee’s first major art purchase, a Manjit Bawa painting bought for ₹2 lakh, eventually sold for almost ₹1 crore. The sale later helped her buy a house for her mother, but the Bengaluru-based curator said she had never bought the work intending to profit from it.

At a Bengaluru session titled ‘Why Collect Art?’ on August 28, Chatterjee advised new buyers to spend time looking at art, asking questions and developing their own taste. “The most important thing is that it means something to you,” she said.

Her own collecting began in 1991, after she bought an artwork as a gift for her ailing father. Two of his friends then gave her money to buy pieces for them. She began visiting galleries every Saturday and later bought five small works by Jogen Chowdhury.

Chatterjee also questioned the standard 50% gallery commission, particularly where traditional artists’ work is bought cheaply and sold at far higher prices. She called for more public art spaces and museums that make art and craft part of daily life.