Senior advocate Sanjay Jain has a passion for collecting fine art

In this two-part interview, we speak to senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General of India, Sanjay Jain, about his love for collecting rare and beautiful things.

- NOOR ANAND CHAWLA

Last week, we spoke about his collection of books and today we shine a light on his fine art collection. Excerpts from an edited interview: Q: How did you develop an interest in fine art? A: Having grown up in Delhi, I was fortunate to be able to visit many museums that displayed our cultural artefacts and beautiful art from a young age. Though I had this exposure, I didn't have any knowledge of how to buy art and start my own collection. Hence, I didn't touch it for the longest time.

It was only when I became a senior advocate that I began indulging in my suppressed interests. This included collecting beautiful watches, rare fountain pens and other collectibles of a similar nature.

Around this time, my younger brother's wife became an art dealer and opened Gallery Ragini. I also started doing some legal work with the mother-daughter duo Ajeet Cour and Arpana Caur. These incidents became my gateway to the Indian contemporary art scene. I was fond of collecting calendar art as well because it provided a window to a specific cultural moment, and tied in with my interest in mythology.

Once I built up the knowledge, my first major acquisitions were six paintings by Freydoon Rassouli. He is an award-winning Iranian artist based in California best known for his unique style of Fusionart.