MUMBAI.- Ashvitas.com, is an online-only platform hosting art auctions, a knowledge centre and a series of curated stores offering fine art, photography, prints and collectibles. Founded by Ashvin Rajagopalan in 2002 as a gallery space in Chennai, Ashvita’s has chosen to look back to its heritage with the Madras Sale - their inaugural online auction which highlights the diverse cultural and artistic heritage of Chennai.
The auction will be led by a series of key works from the Madras School including Girl a portrait of an unknown girl by L. Munuswamy (Lot 26), one of the most important Modern painters to come out of the Madras School. It was painted in 1961, only 3 years after the artist had joined the Government College of Arts & Craft as a teacher and where he had previously trained under D. P. Roy Chowdhury and K. C. S. Paniker.
With a focus on Chennai’s heritage the sale includes a series of original photos from the Wiele & Klein Photography Studio, Madras which have been developed from the original glass plate negatives in 2002. The negatives had previously been discovered in the 1980’s at the home of a Miss Cooper from Coonoor, who is believed to have worked at the original photography studio, and were brought back to Chennai with the help of the Inspector General of Police. The plates date back to the 1890’s and depict historic scenes of Madras.
Ashvita's is focused on nurturing a new generation of collectors across India. This is reflected in the variety of categories available in their curated online stores and auctions. Alongside art and photography the online stores include future collectibles such as vintage advertisements, oleographs and film memorabilia.
“We believe that as a platform Ashvita’s aims to build excitement around collecting art and hopes to nurture a new generation of collectors. While there are many sources of art in India, artworks are often limited to a very small group of artists and collection categories. This is why we have decided to put our name and brand in the spotlight and start Ashvita’s.” Ashvin. E. Rajagopalan, Founder Ashvita’s
Ashvin.E.Rajagopalan is a graduate of Fine Art with a background in art history. He started Ashvita Fine Art in 2002 and has since curated multiple exhibitions of modern and contemporary Indian artists. Ashvin also consults with institutional and corporate collections around the world and has set up foundations and museums for a variety of clients. The last 16 years of experience has provided Ashvin with complete on-ground perspective of what is required in India to activate and fuel growth in the fine Art & Collectible sector.
