Gaurav Bhatia: The perfervid journey through Art and Collectibles
Tracing through the days of amateur admiring, Gaurav Bhatia, the Ex-MD of Sotheby’s narrates his odyssey to becoming; building his timeless collection of art
The affair with art is really a story of passion, of true love for the arts and a curious mind: This finds best expression through the earnest, art-world journey of Gaurav Bhatia, the large and immensely elegant owner of Mumbai based luxury and lifestyle advisory cell Maison, India.
Mr Bhatia has drawn fame, regularly being spotted sharing his outlook about the world of art and aesthetics in conferences and discourses in the prestigious India Sotheby’s International Realm. At 45, he now spearheads the journey of luxury and art into the Indian luxury landscape through his strong-standing venture, while extending his goodwill to contribute in strengthening the country’s tradition of indigenous art.
Having been the former MD of esteemed luxury houses like Sotheby’s and LVMH, his public rapport establishes as one of the biggest names in the luxury market and one true inspiration for all budding art connoisseurs to follow with example. Tracing his journey to becoming, we come across an as exciting tract of insane spirits that brews to what stands today as one timeless ornate of collectibles in art.
Gaurav Bhatia Sotheby’s Ex MD recollects his fondest childhood memories to be of accompanying his parents on several collecting trips to galleries and markets. It was the years 1970s in India and his parents were solely keen then, on decorating their home with what they perceived as mere pieces for show.
With the early days exposure to the world of precious objet d’art that he credits to his parents, Mr. Bhatia recollects feeling immensely drawn to paintings and being captivated between pages of vintage issues in interior magazines that gave tone to his childhood. Pondering onto stories beyond paintings or the artist marked these days as an “amateur admirer” that was soon to own one of the classiest art collections to have under the sun.
Growing up, he spells out a mantra for himself- “I put my money where I could see it best, on my walls.” Mr Bhatia made his first purchase as he loses his heart to one painting, he had seen at the Soho gallery, in New York, near where he lived as a student.
As a novice ardent in his early twenties, an art purchase meant saving up, most of which in his case, came from cutting costs of fancy dinners and travel trips that most his age were devoutly engrossing into. Secretly however, he welcomed this usher to choose art over all other pleasures to have- in the mere joy to stare at the painting day on day than be doing it anyway other.
And as they say “like attracts like”, his story of life and love eventually drew him to cross paths with his lady love, now-wife of Gaurav Bhatia: his partner in crime and in life. Taking role for their love for art together, the couple built an abode of artistic cluster with pieces from the best in the world galleries, artists and cultures.
Works of artists such Abir Karmarkar, Ayesha Sultana (from Bangladesh), Rana Begum (from Pakistan), Sarnath Banerjee, Zakkir Husain, Rohini Devasher, K.S. Arun, Aditi Singh and Nityan Unnikrishan, iconic photographs by Pablo Bartholomew, William Dalrymple, Nandini Valli Muthiah along with smaller works of Jitish Kallat and Subodh Gupta adorn walls of the Bhatia residency today.
To add to the charms, Pichwais, Kalighat pats, textiles, Tanjore paintings and a special collection of Madhubani art all come under one roof in making what Gaurav Bhatia elucidates as “a humble mix of stuff we love, collected over the last two decades across geographies.”
Sharing bits of his deepest motives, Mr Bhatia spells out how the best piece of advice for owing an art collection is to have all that evokes you to the inspired life. Art that engages with the core of your heart, makes it to your emotional appeal is “the one” that fits best to the walls in your room décor. He asserts how choosing art is in many ways like choosing a life partner — it is about an instant connect, a chemistry, that should be felt spontaneously, sometimes after deliberation.
Talking about his personal style statement in collectibles, he admits enjoying fashion’s nod to heritage that also amalgamates the forward thinking savoir faire. This undeniably finds expression through his residency- a picturesque representation of his discreet and elegant taste.
Beyond bids on the table, his refreshed notes on art takes us to depth and character, and a journey of engagement with peace and pleasure that he knocks through his gusto. It is indeed in the way one makes conversation with these things of beauty and chooses to grow old with them, that makes an art collection truly timeless.