Fakes shake faith in India

Indian artist Syed Haider Raza almost had a heart attack at the inauguration of an exhibition of his works in Delhi when it suddenly struck him that all but two of the 30 paintings on display were forgeries.

'My head reeled and my blood pressure shot up. Because of the acute pain in my chest, I braced for a cardiac arrest. But God saved me,' says the 86-year-old painter, who is known for his brilliant but abstract colours.

Dhoomimal Gallery promptly cancelled the mid-January show, but the scam has cast a spotlight on organised gangs of forgers in India's unguarded art world. Experts say the growth in demand for modern and contemporary Indian art in the past few years is fuelling a thriving fake art works racket.

'The value of Indian art sold at auction rose from about US$5 million in 2003 to US$150 million last year,' says Meera Sengupta, a Calcutta-based curator since 1985. 'The local art market has grown to around US$400 million, driven by fast-paced economic growth that encouraged many to acquire paintings as investment or as symbols of new-found wealth. But the country still doesn't have a fool-proof system in place for authentication of art works, giving forgers the licence to loot,' he says.

Sengupta says India is a nation of 'callous' artists, collectors and investors. 'Raza's brush with fakes shook the art world because of the sheer audacity of the forgers,' he says. 'But there are daily rip-offs which go undetected.'

Delhi Art Gallery's Ashish Anand says art crimes are rampant and many Indian art collectors are 'losing faith'. 'I reckon as many as 3,000 fakes are made annually ... Even if 10 per cent of that is sold, [that means] 300 fake works are bought every year.'