How to start collecting art in India

1. Look at a lot before you buy anything

Your eye is trained by looking. Give it a few months.

Museums: see what has been kept. Start with the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru, or the museum nearest you.
Gallery openings: often free and open to anyone. Some ask you to register.
Art fairs: many galleries in one place. India Art Fair runs for four days in New Delhi each February.
Art school shows: the annual student exhibitions at art colleges. Note what stops you. After a while, you’ll see a pattern.

2. Original, print or reproduction

Unique work: the only one, like a painting or a drawing.
Original print: made as a work in its own right, by the artist or under their eye, in an edition: an etching, lithograph, woodcut, screenprint, or an inkjet made as the work itself. Usually signed in pencil and numbered. 12/50 means one of an edition of fifty, not a ranking. “A/P” is an artist’s proof, outside the edition.
Reproduction: a machine-printed copy of another work: most posters, and giclées of paintings. “Giclée” only means inkjet. Texture can be faked and dots can mislead. Look closely, then ask how it was made, who printed it, and whether it copies another work.

3. Ask for the paperwork

A good seller won’t mind.

An invoice: artist, title, year, medium, size and, for prints, the edition number.
Where the work came from: the artist, a gallery, or a previous owner.
Its condition: fading, foxing, mould, tears, repairs. Get it in writing before you pay.
A certificate, if there is one, and who issued it. A certificate is only as good as whoever signed it. If the answers are vague, or someone says decide today, walk away. Good work waits.

4. Be careful with “signed serigraphs” of the masters

If you are offered a Husain, Raza or Souza “serigraph” with a certificate, treat it as a reproduction until someone you trust shows you otherwise. Start instead with a living artist you can visit, or a gallery that will still be there next year.

5. Start with paper

Drawings, watercolours and prints are how many collections begin. Paper needs care: an acid-free mount that keeps the sheet off the glass, no direct sun, and no damp wall in the monsoon.

6. Buying from a living artist

Visit the studio if you can. Ask what else they’ve made in the same series.
Ask for the artist’s exhibition history.
Keep the invoice and anything the artist writes. One day, that’s the work’s history.

7. Before you buy, ask

Who made it, and when?
Is it unique, an original print, or a reproduction?
Where has it been, and what condition is it in?
What paperwork comes with it?

Where should I start if I have never bought art?

Look before you buy. Spend a few months in museums, gallery openings, art fairs and art school shows, and notice which works stop you.

What is the difference between an original print and a reproduction?

An original print is made as a work in its own right, by the artist or under their eye, usually in a signed and numbered edition. A reproduction is a machine-printed copy of another work, such as most posters and giclées of paintings.

What paperwork should come with a first purchase?

An invoice naming the artist, title, year, medium and size (and the edition number for prints), a note of where the work came from, its condition in writing, and any certificate with the name of whoever issued it.

Are signed serigraphs of Husain, Raza or Souza a safe first buy?

Treat them as reproductions until someone you trust shows you otherwise. A living artist you can visit, or a gallery that will still be there next year, is a safer start.

Why do many collections start with works on paper?

Drawings, watercolours and prints are how many collections begin. They need care: an acid-free mount that keeps the sheet off the glass, no direct sun, and no damp wall in the monsoon.

Your first work