The question of value

A few collectors have taken tentative steps to start private museums

Waiting in the lobby of the ITC Maurya for the driver, my wife casually enquired, “How much do you think the art here is worth?” It was a surprisingly astute question since the hotel is one of the largest repositories of art in the country. For those unfamiliar with the New Delhi hotel, the lobby dome, split into segments designed like a chaitya ceiling, was painted by Krishen Khanna, an associate of the Progressives. Labelled The Procession, it is probably the largest modern mural in the country, and any value put to it can only be notional since, to replicate