A PATRON AND A PADMA SHRI KIRAN NADAR

ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING COLLECTORS OF INDIAN ART SHE’S BUILDING A SECOND MUSEUM TO ACCOMMODATE HER EXTENSIVE COLLECTION! OPENS UP TO HELLO! ABOUT MF HUSAIN’S PERSONAL TOUCHES ON THE ART IN HER HOME, HER BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND’S ADORATION FOR RAVI VARMAS AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RECENT NATIONAL HONOUR BESTOWED UPON HER

- SHASHI SUNNY

From acquiring a B. Prabha at Gallery Chemould back in the ’80s, confident enough to veer away from the recommended Tyeb Mehta, to amassing a collection spanning 13,000 works of both Indian and global origin, one might assume you’d want to rest on your laurels. Not if you are Kiran Nadar, renowned as one of the world’s foremost collectors of Indian art. Beyond cultivating her private collection, she is a museum builder, a patron for talented new artists, an enabler for laymen and children to view, understand and learn about art, as well as a promoter who showcases maestros and fresh talent. There is nothing she won’t do to democratise art and bring it to the purview of ordinary people, a mission she has been dedicated to for three decades. So when her efforts were acknowledged with a Padma Shri this year, it was richly deserved. “It’s a matter of pride to receive a national honour and also a validation. I am pleased that the work I have put in the field has been recognised,” says the ebullient philanthropist, resplendent in a beautiful black and gold ensemble at the opening of a retrospective of photographer Raghu Rai at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), Saket, New Delhi, with all the hoi polloi of the city in attendance.

However, she is quick to point out that this is not just a moment of personal elation, but rather an acknowledgment of her efforts to effect social change through art. “I am happy that not just artists but also people who serve the cause of art are being recognised. I firmly believe that art makes for a better society in so many ways.”

A COLLECTION ROOTED IN RESONANCE