Welcome Readers,
As India Art Fair 2025 nears the horizon, our excitement is escalating. Numerous galleries have walked the pavilions of IAF 2025, with some establishing themselves as a staple in this art fair.
Today we have with us Charles Moore. He is the Co-owner of Grosvenor Gallery, a modern British art gallery. As we all know Grosvenor Gallery has championed modern and contemporary art, sheltering a humungous roster of artists, since its inception. As they further their legacy and mission with the 16th edition of India Art Fair, we sit down with them for a little tête-à-tête.
Q. Hello Charles. It’s a pleasure to converse with you. First of all congratulations on making it this year at India Art Fair 2025. Let’s get the ball rolling. Could you tell us about Grosvenor Gallery and its mission?
Charles Moore: These days the gallery’s main focus is on modern and contemporary art by artists from South Asia and the diaspora. We try and tell the stories of the modernist artists, and to contextualise their work.
Q. As we know, the India Art Fair is a hotspot for contemporary South-Asian art. This begets the question – what is the need or rather the importance for a gallery and art consultancy, in London such as yourself in such settings?
Charles Moore: Many of the early South Asian modernists spent considerable time in Europe and the UK – Souza, Bakre, Avinash Chandra, Tyeb Mehta, Anwar Shemza, Ivan Peries etc. and in France, you had Raza, Padamsee, Laxman Pai. Husain exhibited many times in Europe. These artists experienced varying degrees of success, but all sold work locally, meaning that paintings from their most celebrated periods are located in the UK and Europe. Having a gallery here means we can access this material, as well as archives, which enables us to build the histories of these artists within the context of the Post-War British artistic landscape. Of course, there’s a very large British-Asian population, and we are one of the few places you can see this material in the UK.
Courtesy – Grosvenor Gallery
Q. This time around, Grosvenor Gallery is representing London. Charles, I wonder whether you find it a pressure, a challenge, or a crafted opportunity to narrate the vernacular and charm of the city via the artworks that you have chosen to represent at IAF.
Charles Moore: Sometimes it is difficult to come up with ‘new’ ideas, especially when you’re exhibiting the moderns. This year we have a mixed bag – we are showing the work of Shanti Panchal, a Gujarati artist who has lived and worked in London since the 1980s, making many important contributions to public art. Conversely, Olivia Fraser is a British artist who has lived in India for many years now. She uses traditional techniques and symbology but in a dynamic and thoroughly contemporary manner. Rithika Pandey is a young, exciting painter from Mumbai, whose work we showed in the modern British art gallery in 2022. Her paintings are deeply personal and mystifying. Lastly, we are showing a collection of important drawings by Francis Newton Souza, who was represented by the Grosvenor Gallery in the 1960s. Bringing a mix of modern and contemporary works gives us the chance to offer some context to what is being produced now.
Q. Could you tell me about the represented artists who’ll be the centre of attraction at the 16th edition of IAF? Taken from your gigantic directory, what makes these artists unique?
Charles Moore: 2024/25 has been a big year for Souza, being the centenary of his birth. We held an exhibition at Bikaner House in Delhi last month, with many important paintings from the 1950s and ‘60s. Because of the landmark year, there has been a lot of attention on Souza, and this has been reflected in the Grosvenor Gallery auctions and the global market for his works.
Courtesy – Grosvenor Gallery
Q. This is not your first time at IAF, is it? What are you looking forward to in this edition of the India Art Fair? We all strive to be better, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. How are you planning to take it to the next level?
Charles Moore: We’re looking forward to seeing old friends and making a few more. That’s the point of a fair really. Of course, it’s important to sell, but fostering relationships is an important reason for coming. Back in London, we hold a big exhibition of South Asian modernism every year in June/July. Many of the people we meet in Delhi we see back in London. Last year we showed a collection of early Bengal School paintings hidden in a drawer for 100 years. The collection included a lost masterpiece by Abanindranath Tagore called ‘A Moonlight Music Party’. We’re not likely to find something like that again, but you never know. You can’t stop looking!
Q. Let’s talk about the art market trends Charles, shall we? What do you see selling more — is it contemporary artists or established personalities? How were the sales for you last year? Are there any projections you’ve made for the new edition?
Charles Moore: Listen, the market in India has been very strong for a good few years now. The exciting thing that we’ve observed is how strong the appetite for contemporary is, which let’s face it, 6/7 years ago it was pretty flat. You see less modernist work here than you used to, which is probably no bad thing. There seems to be a rich vein of artists coming to prominence at the moment, and India is everywhere at the moment – fashion, art, cinema, food… It really feels like it’s India’s time in the spotlight.
Courtesy – Grosvenor Gallery
Q. You have participated in multiple art events, fairs, and exhibitions such as Frieze Masters, Art Dubai, and more. What makes India Art Fair different from them? Or is it that IAF is yet another art fair?
Charles Moore: It’s a very local fair – in a good way. You see galleries here that you don’t elsewhere. It gets very dull seeing similar work by the same artists all around the world, but you can’t make that criticism of this fair. The location isn’t ideal, but you can’t have everything. One thing I wish they had though was a good chai stall.!!
Q. There is no denying that India Art Fair is not just an exhibition, but also a platform where community building is a given. What other benefits do you think the other galleries, who aren’t participating this year, are missing out on?
Charles Moore: Access to a powerful and rapidly expanding group of buyers and 20th century art collectors. This is the time of the big industrialists, and with that, there is always great patronage of the arts.
Q. What do you think India’s participation is to furthering the art, feeding into the global art movements? How has the Indian art market been for you?
Charles Moore: India’s rich, varied and deep culture is having a greater impact all around the world. India’s contemporary artists are a window to this changing society. It’s a very exciting time and we’re fortunate to work with many talented artists.
Q. Where can our readers find out more about Grosvenor Gallery and its ethos? Do you currently offer a virtual gallery tour? If so, where can they find you?
Charles Moore: If you’re in London come and see us at the gallery in St James’s. Otherwise our website (grosvenorgallery.com), on Instagram @grosvenorgallery, we also have a podcast called ‘A Life in Art’. This week we are at Booth A08 at the fair, and I also want to mention a platform in the UK called Atrasouthasia.com. If you want to know what’s happening in the UK with South Asian and diaspora artists, that’s a great place to start.
Thank you so much, Charles, for sitting down with us. We wish you the best for the India Art Fair. See you there 🙂
Image Courtesy – Victoria and Albert Museum
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