I was taken by surprise when the govt. announced the adoption MoU: Rekha Hebbar

In an exclusive chat with The Hindu , Rekha Hebbar, daughter of renowned artist late K.K. Hebbar, who donated most of his works to the State government and which are on display at the K.K. Hebbar Gallery in the Venkatappa Art Gallery, has shared her concerns about the adoption of the VAG by Tasveer Foundation. Q. Were the families of K.K. Hebbar and K. Venkatappa not consulted at all by the government before it signed the MoU with Tasveer Foundation?

A. I am not privy to what happened with the family members of Venkatappa. But we, the family of K.K. Hebbar, who donated most of his works for the State in 1993, were not at all consulted. I was actually taken by surprise when the government announced the adoption MoU.

Apart from the larger artist community, the Hebbar family is a stakeholder in the VAG, and we now demand that a trust be formed to uplift the gallery space and it have representatives from the families of Hebbar and Venkatappa as members, apart from others. It’s the work of the artist’s lifetime that they have donated to the State, which cannot be handed over to a private firm.

The government has been arguing it is only adoption and doesn't amount to privatisation, and this was the only way to infuse new life into the VAG. Do you feel the VAG needs to be revamped? If not Tasveer Foundation, what are the other options?

I agree that the need of the hour is to revamp and uplift the VAG. New lease of life is needed for the space to become vibrant again. But I do not think giving it for adoption to Tasveer Foundation is the only way.

We oppose ceding of administrative control to Tasveer Foundation over the public space for the only reason that they invest money. There is a serious issue of conflict of interest as well. We demand that the government form a well-represented trust to run the space. Let the government invest money. We will welcome if Tasveer Foundation also contributes funds in such a set-up.

How fair is it on the artists’ part to expect Tasveer Foundation to invest money and not get any administrative say or increase the entry fee?

As an artist, I also know that world over private patrons have contributed immensely to art galleries and museum spaces. A public-private partnership is most welcome and feasible. But world over, a philanthropist contributing funds for such a gallery will have one of his representatives on the trust running it and there by, a say. But nowhere have I seen such complete control over administration of the museum with the handing over the State’s collection of artworks.

In 2004, K.K. Hebbar Art Foundation renovated the gallery, but sought no control or return on the investments made. Tasveer Foundation claims that the adoption is part of the corporate social responsibility initiative. Then why do they want administrative control? We are not opposed to their representation on a trust to run the VAG if they invest funds, but not complete control.