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List of art institutes, India

In continuation with the post on 'A career in fine arts', here's a list of colleges/institutes for fine arts.

You can help me update the list - send me names of art colleges not mentioned here.

1. Faculty of Fine Art, MS University, Baroda
2. National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
3. Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai
4. The Academy Of Fine Arts, Kolkata
5. Department of Fine Arts, Vishva Bharati University, Santiniketan
6. Faculty of Fine Arts, Rabindra Bharthi University, Kolkata
7. College of Art, New Delhi
8. Faculty of Art, University of Delhi, Delhi
9. Department of Fine Arts & Art Education, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
10. Faculty of Fine Art, Punjab University, Chandigarh
11. Chitra Kala Parishath, Bangalore
12. Faculty of Arts Bangalore University, Jynana Bharathi, Bangalore
13. Ken school of Art, Bangalore
14. Srishti School of art, Design & Technology, Bangalore
15. CAVA, Mysore
16. Faculty of Fine Arts, Agra University, Agra
17. Faculty of Arts, Banaras Hindu University,Varanasi
18. College of Arts & Crafts, Lucknow
19. College of Arts & Crafts, Chennai
20. Faculty of Arts, Goa University, Goa
21. Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram

(This is an indicative list and not an endorsement)

A career in fine arts

(Nalini S Malaviya)

There have been a considerable number of mails requesting for various kinds of information on a career in fine arts. This has come from students at the threshold of selecting a profession and also from professionals looking at making a career switch. Then, there are a few homemakers who have been pursuing art as a hobby and would now like to take it up as a full time profession.
For the first category, I would suggest that students interested in a career in art should decide only after consulting a professional counsellor, who will help them evaluate their aptitude and suitability in this field. A career in fine arts may appear to be filled with glamour and glitz to those from the outside, thanks to the million dollar sales. And, now that artists are appearing regularly on the page 3 circuits there is a lot of visibility as well. But, as a profession, fine arts is like any other career. Remember, there is a huge number of artists who struggle to make even ends meet, and to establish oneself can be a long and tedious journey. Creativity and talent are just some of the prerequisites needed to be successful as an artist. A career counsellor can provide all the necessary details regarding institutes and colleges and also on the diverse sub-categories that one can opt for.

For professionals who want to work as artists, they should consider the financial implications before making any drastic move. But before that, they must be sure if they have the capabilities to make it as a fine artist.
I would like to point out that it is always difficult, especially initially, for self taught artists and painters to be taken seriously by critics and collectors. Incidentally, MF Husain, Arpana Caur and Badrinarayan are some of the self-taught artists who have found tremendous success. Women artists who have a background in fine arts may find it easier to get acceptance. Especially, homemakers who have a degree in fine arts may fine it fairly straightforward to get into mainstream, whereas it might be a little difficult for the occasional hobby painters.

All said and done, one should make a career choice for the right reasons. It is so much more satisfying when one does something because one enjoys it.
However, do remember that art by itself is an extremely therapeutic outlet. Whether one pursues it as a career or not, one should definitely try to paint or sculpt and it will surely be a great stress buster.

Art is a long term Investment

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

In general, one should consider investing in art only after investing in traditional asset classes such as stocks, equity, real estate and gold. However, given the current scenario of the stock market, there are many prospective buyers with sufficient liquidity, who are looking at alternate options. Indian art has emerged as one of the safest investment instruments in recent times. However, investing in art is quite different from investing in other markets. While, it can be said that all investments require a fair amount of research, art in particular, requires greater research (as data is hard to come by) and an in-depth understanding of the art market dynamics. Another factor one must keep in mind is that art should be looked at as a fairly long-term investment, and to be aware that it is less liquid than conventional assets.

How can one spot a winner?

That is the million-dollar question most people ask when considering investing in art. There are many financial consultants who offer advice on equity and debt based funds, however, consultants specifically offering advice on art and its investment potential are very few. In such a case the onus of making the right decision falls on the investor. One can begin by studying the market, its trends and price graphs of well-known artists. It helps to define a budget that can be then sub-divided into parts according to the investment category – high risk, medium and safe.
Knowledge of art is an important consideration and it helps to read up on artists, their profiles, and in general keep abreast of updates on art related news and auctions. Once the generics are in place, one can look at details.

As a buyer a few questions that you need to ask yourself are,
What kind of work to buy – for instance, a painting, sculpture or a photograph?
Which artist/s to consider?
Where to buy from - a gallery, at an auction or a private dealer?
Will I be able to resell it? What are my options?
What are the various commissions and taxes that I need to know about?

Having the answers in place, it will be easier to begin shopping for art and in creating an investment portfolio.

(Published in Financial Times)

Art Buzz (Bangalore) Mini & Mandira Naidoo