Kavita Singh Shares Her Essentials of Building an Elegant Art Collection

Anyone who knows of Kavita Singh knows she is all about elegance and confidence. A veteran designer, passionate art collector, and former model, Singh’s eye for style is unmatched. When it comes down to it, she believes that a house without art has no soul. “Without art, it’s just empty rooms,” she says, adding, “Art becomes part of the overall vibe, so it’s very much an essential aspect of decorating a home.”

Does her personal sense of style—layered and nuanced—influence the kind of art she acquires? It’s a 50:50. Mostly, she acquires what she likes. She says, “I just have an eye for it, but that’s something that I’ve picked up over the years. It’s not consciously done, just something that comes to me.”

Singh is of the belief that in any house, or on anybody for that matter, a colour should not scream—everything should be in harmony. “Everything that you see in my house just blends into each other,” she says. Of the artists that she holds dear in her celebrated collection, Raja Ravi Varma has had the strongest impact on her. “I love Ravi Varma’s works because I like the detailing, and how emotions show through his subject’s eyes. You can see every little detail in a Ravi Varma artwork—you see the nails, the hair—it’s very minutely done. That is what I always marvel at, how this artist could have done all this, and how real the artworks seem.”

Whether it’s high jewellery or paintings, objects with a hefty price tag are rarely just expenses; they are assets that tend to appreciate over time. Does Singh ever think about an artist’s or artwork’s investment potential?

Read the full story in the premiere issue of LuxeTrope, on stands now.