Which 5 Indian artists would you dare to buy now?
Posted by artradar on May 26, 2009
CONTEMPORARY INDIAN ART
Which artists from the Indian subcontinent are most likely to have a market in 10 years time? Think about it for a moment and then compare your results with those below:

Subodh Gupta

Atul Dodiya, Fallen Leaves A Stroll
Top 5 Ranking:
1. Subodh Gupta
2. Atul Dodiya
3. Rashid Rana (Pakistan)
4. N.S. Harsha
(Each of the artist names above is linked to their wikipedia entry. Just google the artist name + images for a large selection of images and sources).
This list has just been published for the first time by ArtTactic using its Survival Rating Methodology. We have enormous respect for the well-researched reports produced by Anders Petterson. Here is more information from their website:
This Survey launches the Survival Rating methodology for the Indian art market, which was pioneered for the US & European art markets in December 2008. The measurement captures the long-term (10 years) belief whether the artists’ markets will be of High, Medium, Low importance. The Barometer is particularly useful in the current environment, where the market is trying to decipher which artists’ markets will survive the current downturn.
Artists Confidence Indicators and Survival Ratings included in the report:
F.N.Souza, M.F.Husain, Ram Kumar, S.H.Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Himmat Shah, Jogen Chowdhury,Arpita Singh, Krishen Khanna, Rameshwar Broota, KG Subramanyan, Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, Zarina Hashmi, Tyeb Mehta, Anju Dodiya, Atul Dodiya, Shibu Natesan, Sudarshan Shetty, Ravinder Reddy, Nataraj Sharma, Surendran Nair, Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher, Jitish Kallat, Thukral & Tagra, Rashid Rana, N.S. Harsha, T.V. Santhosh, Justin Ponmany, Riyas Komu.

Jitish Kallat
To buy, click the Indian Art Market Confidence Survey report May 2009
Related posts:
- Which artists from Asia are in the Pompidou collection? – Dec 2008 – includes list of Indian artists
- Mixed reviews for Serpentine’s Indian Highway show in London – Dec 2008 – 25 contemporary Indian artists in survey show billed “a snapshot of a vibrant generation of artists”
- India has most speculative art market in world – Philip Hoffman Fine Art Fund – Sep 2008
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Anang Sen said
I can definitely see a resurgence of realism and figurative works. A lot of it is simply computer projections filled-in by assistants, without the need for any real talent in the artists, but there are a few amazing talents out there. Notable are the names of Bari Kumar, Jagannath Panda, Samaraendra Raj Singh, and Mithu Sen. They may not have the deepest secondary markets as yet, but are names to reckon with in the near future.
Art Lab said
No new artists?
artradar said
Hi there, thanks for your provocative comment. We love it. Do you or other readers have ideas about which new Indian artists you would dare to buy now?…..if so leave us a comment.
Art Lab said
People are buying from several new artists. Not in auctions, though ( because auctioneers don’t consider works of new artists) Just because it is not reported in the press (for the same reason given above) doesn’t mean that works of new artists remain unsold.
artradar said
Thanks Art Lab for your comments, you make some great points.
Because of the vast number of practising artists we imagine that the ArtTactic team needs to limit the number of artists that they study. We can’t speak for ArtTactic but perhaps they focus on established artists with a proven auction market because these artists are most likely to have staying power.
We do agree with you that there are a large number of new artists who also sell their work and a small proportion will have a blistering future in the market and outside it. Unfortunately the vast majority of practising artists fail to get representation in the primary market, of those that do a very high proportion will not reach the secondary market (auction). Of those that do manage to develop a secondary market, many will not be able to sustain it. It is far from given that a buyer who buys a piece at auction today will be able to resell in 20 years’ time. Mitigating this risk is what ArtTactic aims to do.
Fortunately there are many reasons to buy art other than for investment – fun, intellectual stimulation, therapy, sensory pleasure, education, activism, connection, spiritual sustenance ..an endless list – and these reasons do not discriminate against new artists. Long live new and unknown artists, we are in full support.
If other readers have anything to add in reply to Art Lab, leave your comments below.
Art Lab said
Thank you for your support & comments. I represent new & upcoming artists. Actually, I am a scientist who crossed over to the field of art. I specialize in art from science. You can see my work on my website http://www.kkartfromscience.com. I am also doing research on art collectors. All most all the art collectors I came in contact with told me they don’t mind buying the work of new & upcoming artists, provided the work is good. In the initial stages I too struggled – I became active since 2007- but now people are not only appreciating my work but are buying it. It is still a long way to go but I am confident that one day I too will succeed in the art world. I can understand the problems new & upcoming artists face & therefore I am interested in studying the minds of art collectors (That is the title of my research project!). I created a network for this purpose. In case you are interested in this research work, please let me know.
Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa