The silk ROUTE

A serigraph is a hand-made reproduction of an image on a silk screen,done through a complex stenciling process. Anil Relia,founder-chairman of Archer Group that has produced limited edition serigraphs of several artists,beginning with Husain,also believes it is time to consider serigraphs as good investment. “Old serigraphs are resurfacing and being sold at a premium,” he says.

In 1992,the Ahmedabad-based entrepreneur was deputed by Husain to reproduce his sketch of a goddess from paper to serigraph. In 1995,a set of 15 Husain serigraphs,a limited edition of 500,was launched at a price of Rs 200 to Rs 500 each. Last year,he found that an art collector had bought a print from the series for Rs 40,000. “The works have started circulating. We have requests from clients willing to pay much more for a serigraph edition that is sold out,” says Relia. In 2006,when his website was selling serigraphs from Husain’s Jaisalmer series for Rs 80,000,it sold at a Bonhams auction for Rs 1.5 lakh.

If Warhol,Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali garnered interest in the medium years ago,in India the patronage has come in last three decades with celebrated series of veteran artists. If Husain has his horses and Mother Teresa on the silk screen,SH Raza has duplicated bindus. Also available are Jogen Chowdhury cross-hatchings and Thota Vaikuntam’s Telengana women. An original from A Ramachandran’s Universe in a Lotus Pond series costs Rs40 lakh upward,but Vadehra Art Gallery has its serigraph for Rs 25,000.

“Serigraphs offer a cheaper alternative to those who cannot afford an original,” says Lavesh Jagasia,director of Mumbai -based Serigraph Studio that opened in 2003. Last month,he helped a Dubai-based collector source an SH Raza serigraph,Kundali ,from a limited edition series of 125 launched in 2005. “Back then it was priced Rs 12,000. Now he paid Rs 1.25 lakh,” says Jagasia. Another collector approached him to procure a Jogen Chowdhury serigraph Couple,from a set released in association with Palette Art Gallery in 2006. “Its price has risen from Rs 18,000 to Rs 2lakh,” says Jagasia.

The market has become more organised with specialised dealers establishing tie-ups with galleries. “In the past,several off-set prints were passed off as serigraphs,” says Relia,who has a serigraph workshop in Ahmedabad. Jagasia,gets his made in Europe on archival paper. The artist is involved in each stage,from shortlisting work,to giving the final nod to a sample print,which is then released in multiple copies. “The process could take years,” says Burman.

The recent slowdown has not led to a fall in the price of serigraphs. “In the same price segment,the choice is often between the original of a young artist and serigraph of someone more recognised. The risk is higher with the former,” says Jagasia. Manu Dosaj,director,Gallery Alternatives,feels art education will push sales. “Serigraphs are battling the stigma every graphic form have had to face in India. Collectors have been skeptical of artwork in multiple edition and Raja Ravi Varma oleographs are a classic example. Priced in thousands some years ago,now they sell for lakhs,” says Dosaj. Earlier this year,she parted with a set of eight serigraphs of MF Husain horses. “I had picked it for reasonable price and sold it to a Gurgaon-based collector at more than 70 per cent of that amount,” says Dosaj.

“Several factors are important,from the artist to the work reproduced. The prices depend on the demand-supply ratio,so it is better to have an edition which is limited,” says Tunty Chauhan,director Gallery Threshold. In 2007,she organised a group exhibition comprising serigraphs of Rameshwar Broota,Jogen Chowdhury and Prabhakar Kolte. “Several works were picked by galleries,” she says.
It might not be long before serigraphs make an appearance in the domestic auction circuit,promises Minal Vazirani,director,Saffronart. “Everything is going right for the medium,” she says. Anyone interested to bid on a Husain horse running on the silk screen? Or perhaps a 10×15 feet Husain serigraph depicting India in the Mughalera? Printing is underway at Relia’s studio.