Original works of art by top grade artists are prohibitively expensive for most people to buy. But with art becoming an attractive option for investers in India, art collector and publisher Lavesh Jagasia offers an attractive alternative.
"A lot of people are not able to get that precious single piece," says Jagasia. "For them, my solution is serigraph ." His firm, The Serigraph Studio, Started in Bandra in 2003, creates works of major artists at affordable prices.
Unlike other print making mediums, serigraphy offers high colour latitude and is closest to the original work. "Each serigraph is different for the simple reason that it is hand-pulled. These are not to be confused with the easily available offset prints, which are a photo mechanical reproduction, " says Jagasiya. "Here, each print is signed, numbered and titled by the artist." This is format accepted by the Fine Art Trade Guild of the UK, which sets printing standards in this area. A serigraphic print lasts up to 100 years.
The serigraphs printed by Jagasia sell at a starting price of Rs. 12,000. Presently, he is selling prints of S.H. Raza and Paritosh Sen works. There are 125 reprints made of the work of each artist's composition and with every five prints sold in the series, there is a jump in price.
Nearly 50 per cent of Raza's prints were sold out in just eight days. Other artists whose works are printed and signed include Jogen Chowdhury, Jehangir Sabavala and Sakti Burman. The company issues a certificate of authenticity to every buyer.
If you are holding on to a print and want to take advantage of a jump, you can log on to www.serigraphstudio.com and place your price.
The Week, Mumbai
18 Dec 2005
