Prashant Tulsyan Believes that True Collectors Should Look for Art that Excites Them

Collecting art is much more than ownership—it’s an intimate pursuit that’s equal parts instinct and knowledge. One collects art  and, often, it ends up owning one, and not the other way around. Living with all that beauty, one can’t help but respond to it. For Prashant Tulsyan, art has always been a relentless chase for enjoyment and passion. Nearly 90 per cent of his buying decisions come from the heart—it’s no wonder that he encourages new collectors to trust their emotional response to an artwork first.

For him, the thrill of acquiring an artwork is hard-wired and he admits that his one regret in the earlier years of collecting was not looking beyond Bengali artists. “My biggest mistake was not buying art from outside Bengal,” he says, adding, “But one should not just dwell on the mistakes; one should also consider all the correct decisions one has made.”

While his art education made him lean more towards Bengal art, he emphasises the importance of appreciating other art movements and forms as well.

Cherished artists, acquisitions and acquaintances
Some of Tulsyan’s most valued artworks have been challenging acquisitions—especially those held within old families’ collections. Among his longest acquisitions were a rare Hemendranath Mazumdar figurative and a large Jamini Roy work that he eventually acquired after agreeing to a very high price. For Tulsyan, however, artists such as Raja Ravi Varma, Hemen, Amrita Sher-Gil and Nicholas Roerich are, quite simply, gods—artists who transcend borders and time.

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