First ever private archive that has good, bad and ugly of Indian art

Swaraj Art Archive in Noida houses a unique combination of art collections from Bengal School, Lucknow School and Bombay School from 1900 to 1980

Noida was never known for a good art gallery or museum on a permanent basis. A few galleries sprung up here and there in the recent past, conducted some shows, and went into oblivion. Just recently, an art space, as huge as 10,000 square feet spread in three storeys, has made a conscious attempt to showcase itself – more as an art archive than a museum or gallery that it could be for the sheer virtue of unique and ancient collection it has.

Owned by art devotee Vijay Aggarwal, this art building at D-85, Sector 2, Noida, called Swaraj Art Archive, is divided into three sections: gallery, office and storage – defined as artefacts/paintings, library, and restoration.

The ground floor or the gallery area is further divided into painting sections and sculpture court in the garden area, which also serves as the coffee zone. It is designed in a way that visitors can sip coffee while having a look at all the artefacts and paintings, either through the life-size glass, double-glazed windows, or barrier-less spaces, depending upon the occasion.

Swaraj, which has drawn its name from the owner’s mother, houses a unique combination of art collections from 1900 to 1980, from almost all schools India possibly has – Bengal School, Lucknow School, and Bombay School . Its library is full of books on art, rare, scholastic and popular. Its restoration and storage section has experts visiting it.

Notably, part of Swaraj’s focus is on “lost art”. The artists who were talented, but could not make it to the so-called ‘art circles’, did a show here and there, and were never ‘found’. N. K Mishra, former principal of the Government College, Lucknow, and M. F. Peethwala from Bombay School are to name a few . The archive has their collections.

A team of just three - Director Smriti Rajgharia Bhatt, Priyanka and Prarthana - daughters of well-known art enthusiasts and gallerists Siddarth Tagore and Meena Verma is handling the archive.

Says Ms. Bhatt categorically, “The Swaraj is not a commercial space, but a hub to educate people to know the depth of Indian art. So, we have everything: the “classic, good, bad and ugly of Indian art.” For instance, Ms. Priyanka adds, “Head of a female from the Gupta period, pocket watches, brass and stone ware, postcards, books and journals, ancient vases, and cancelled prints are there.”

For the next three months, the space will be open to all. Otherwise, students/scholars and art lovers can visit the archive on appointment. “In the near future, seminars will be held here and the collections from the archive will be available online too,” says Ms. Prarthna.

Swaraj is planning an all-women show called “Stree Avalekha” (to paint a woman). The show will showcase the portrayal of women through the ages in five categories: pride, which will be on royal portraits and hand-painted photographs; couples, on oleographs of Raja Ravi Verma; love, on mother and child; acquiescence or nudes, which will have city or tribal women model being painted/photographed and the difference in them; and devotion, on deities as depicted by artists. The show will open on January 23.