Collecting Bollywood Movie Posters

Few countries are as endeared to their movies as India, whose film output over the decades have rivaled their American counterpart in any given year. The Indian moviemaking industry that began in Bombay in the 1930s has seen several classic genres emerge since then, with the historical epic, the curry western, the courtesan film, and the mythological movie accounting for most box-office successes. Standard features of Bollywood films typically include formulaic story lines, expertly choreographed fight scenes, spectacular song-and-dance routines, and emotion-charged melodrama, replete with larger-than-life heroes, love triangles, comedy, and daredevil thrills.

The posters that represented these films were designed to provide the viewer with its basic overall sense through representative images; thus, most had four to five various posters, each depicting a different thematic interpretation of the film. Because of the unique demographics of Indian moviegoers, the poster art was communicative with a distinctive style and were usually printed in English, Hindi, and Urdu. Generally, they relied on as little text as possible, focusing instead on dynamic images utilizing dynamic color.

Over time, techniques in designs have changed—in the 1970’s, Diwakar Karkare, perhaps India’s greatest contemporary poster designer, painted over photographic stills with a knife, creating the rough “fake oil paintings” look that has become synonymous with posters of this era. This was followed by a period when the movie industry adopted what they popularly referred to as the “cut and paste” method where photographic images of the film were cut out and compositionally arranged to create the final poster. The color scheme for the background and other embellishments were added with the paintbrush. Since many of the designers now joining the film industry have with a background in corporate advertising, the posters are reflective of the new commercialization and consumption that is emerging parallel with the country’s rapid globalization.

Initially overlooked as an art form because of its direct relationship to commercial networks of publicity, today the gradual disappearance of the traditional poster from the streets and public places where it had traditionally found a home has made it a more respectable item to be collected. Unfortunately, because of their vulnerability due to India's high humidity and the often-poor quality of the paper used, many posters begin to deteriorate after only 10 or 15 years; after sixty or seventy years, they can crumble into dust when touched. Today, many older original posters are cleaned, deacidified, treated with an alkaline buffer, and backed with a more resilient paper before being put up for sale.

For nostalgic Indian film buffs and art collectors, the hand-painted posters are increasingly being purchased and enjoyed as highly coveted folk art; in fact, they have been the subject of art exhibits in New Delhi, London, and, most recently, in Milan. On average, most Bollywood posters are selling in the $20 - $100 USD range, although collectors are paying many more times that for a hand-painted poster of Mother India and other classic Bollywood films. Those designed by D. R. Bhosle for the popular 1965 Hindi film Guide can fetch nearly $2,000.

Regardless if paying a few dollars or a few thousand for vintage Bollywood movie posters, when matted and framed they can provide a colorful, nostalgic, and inexpensive décor to the cinema fan’s home or office.

TamarindArt.com Gets a New Look

If you enjoy Indian contemporary art, chances are you browse several gallery web sites to learn of upcoming exhibitions, read artist profiles, and view works by these great painters. Each site, like snowflakes, is different—reflecting the gallery’s own unique style and personality.

A particularly educational one, TamarindArt.com, has recently undergone a major design change and is at the same time sleek, modern, and easy to navigate. Divided neatly into convenient sections, all the information one needs—whether current, past, or future shows held there; information about other museums/galleries around the world, artist profiles (all listed A – Z for quick lookup), informative articles and publications, or useful tips regarding art care and conservation for various mediums—is only a click or two away.

Feel as though you are were part of the actual events in person as TamarindArt.com includes many photos from the many gatherings (particularly interesting on the home page slide show is a picture of a relaxed M. F. Husain taking a break from painting his largest mural “Lightning”) and read about the recent auctions that take place worldwide. TamarindArt Gallery’s new website also reflects ongoing trends and reports on all the latest happenings.

Check it out for yourself at http://www.tamarindart.com. You may want to link a shortcut to your desktop so that you can visit the site often.

One to Watch

The recent auctions in New York showed that, without a doubt, the market for Indian contemporary art remains strong and prices are most certainly on an upward climb. It was no surprise that works by the Progressive Artists Group grabbed the most attention or that younger artists like B. Phabha and Atul Dodiya also continue to sell well as they have done in recent years. The final sales results posted on Christie’s and Sotheby’s websites suggests that another artist seems to have made the leap into the big time--his name is K. K Hebbar.

A tempera on paper by Hebbar, estimated at $8,000 to $12,000 went for $28,800 at Christie’s; at Sotheby’s the next day, three of his works sold for $42,000, $66,000, and $216,000. It seems collectors of his works may have known a good thing when they saw it—for others, the name may have not yet achieved the status among his contemporaries of Souza, Raza, Gaitonde, and Husain. A brief biography of the man as artist may help to explain his sudden rise in popularity and in value.

Kattingeri Krishna Hebbar was born in 1911 in the Udupi district of Karnataka. His father, also an artist, sculpted clay idols of Lord Ganesha during festivals, which convinced his son to also pursue a career in that field. He received his diploma from the Sir J J School of Art in 1938, and taught art at the School from 1940 to 1945. A visit to Europe in 1949 exposed him to some of the best works in western art and he finally settled down to study at the Academy Julian in Paris. Despite training in the Western tradition, and influenced by such artists as Paul Gaugin, Hebbar remained rooted to the folk tradition of his upbringing.

Hebbar held that an artist's role was to tell the truth about his feelings without bringing in other ideas. His opposition to politicizing art was the reason why he never joined the Progressive Artists' Group. Nevertheless, he played an active part in the organization of artists in Bombay. His concern with the human condition made him focus on themes like poverty, hunger and the destruction wrought by war. Hebbar never ceased to experiment; combined with forceful strokes, his style is both impressionistic and expressionistic.

Although K. K. Hebbar died at the age of 85 in 1996, he will be best remembered for his humanistic paintings that draw from Indian colors and forms.

That he remained true to himself, his art, and his cultural roots, may be one reason for his surging popularity. Whatever the reason, Hebbar’s paintings and the prices paid for them are sure to be watched in coming months.