“There is immense hunger for international art from within India but collectors need to work hard to learn about areas of art that are not Indian, as not many museums and galleries exhibit them,” says Rob Dean, director of Rob Dean Art Ltd. While he participated at the summit last year, he has previously organised exhibitions with Mumbai-based Pundole Art Gallery and is in contact with Indian collectors.

Jorn Middelborg, managing director of Thavibu Gallery in Bangkok, also has Indian clients from world over, from Hong Kong, Singapore and UK to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. He hopes to expand his base through the summit where his 18 sq meter stall would showcase the works of Thai artist Jirapat Tatsanasomboon, Vietnamese lacquer painter Trinh Tuan and Burmese Aung Kyaw Htet. “We kept Indian connoisseurs in mind when selecting artwork,” notes Middelborg. While he believes that cultural similarities unite the art of the subcontinent, Middelborg notes that the tax laws in India are unfavourable for international gallerists. Dean adds, “Import laws and licenses have to become more user friendly for overseas companies to be more active in India.”

With the art mart hit by the economic slowdown, is this the appropriate time for international gallerists to head to India? “The prime challenge is to bring art closer to the public. It takes time to inform the audience,” says Hahn.

Sunaina Anand, director of Delhi-based Art Alive Gallery, adds, “There is rising interest in international art, particularly from young collectors who are frequent travellers.” She does not have a formal tie-up with an international gallery but she did host an exhibition of Sakti Burman’s work with New York’s Aicon Gallery in 2008 and has an exhibition of foreign photographers planned in the Capital next year.