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Celebrating 100 years of Bollywood, Conferro Auctions, last night, held a special preview of its upcoming inaugural auction of Vintage Bollywood Memorabilia, at the Westbury Gallery, Westbury Hotel, Mayfair.
The auction features original collectables such as LPs, film banners and Bollywood posters from some of the milestones of Indian film history, including Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Sholay (1975), which were recently voted the top two greatest Bollywood films of all time.
“We are overwhelmed by the amount of support we have received,” comments Conferro’s Founder, Sharan Seth,“It is immensely inspiring to have had so many collectors and non-collectors alike, taking such an interest in Bollywood cinematic heritage. With Bollywood such an ingrained part of our cultural identity and the timely centenary of Bollywood film, our first auction reflects India’s rich and vibrant history and artistic practices”.
Indian cinema has become one of the world’s largest film industries since the debut of its first official film on 3 May 1913, Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke. Producing some 1,000 films a year (twice the annual output of Hollywood), the stars of its silver screen are internationally renowned. As reported by The Telegraph, the UK is home to the largest audience for Bollywood films outside of India, contributing 15-20 per cent of the industry’s profits.
Friday 29 November 2013 will mark an important milestone for the Indian art and collectables market in the UK, as Conferro’s originalVintage Bollywood Memorabilia goes under the hammer at the Westbury Gallery, Westbury Hotel, Mayfair. The 150 lots include original vintage LPs, banners, synopses, posters, lobby cards and gramophones from the last 100 years of Bollywood history.
Two lots and a percentage of all sales achieved at the auction will be donated to the charity, Pratham UK, as part of Conferro’s commitment to helping provide basic literacy to India’s 100 million illiterate children.
For interviews with the Director of Conferro Auctions - Julian Farrow, Founder of Conferro Auctions - Sharan Seth, Bollywood Expert - Ashanti Omkar or for high resolution images of auction lots, please contact Daniel Cinna at Curzon PR daniel[.]curzonpr.com | +44 (0)20 7399 2437
For a full programme of activities, please see below:
Listings information
Conferro Auctions | Vintage Bollywood Memorabilia auction
Public viewing
Thursday 28 November (11:00 18:00)
Friday 29 November (11:00 14:00
Bollywood retrospective | A journey through 100 years of Indian cinema | Talk & Tour (30 mins)
Thursday 28 November (12:00 12:30, 15:00 15:30)
Free admission. Limited availability. Book with: Ashta Doyle: ashta[.]curzonpr.com | +44 (0)20 7399 2435
Auction
Friday 29 November (14:00 18:00)
Auction Registration (14:00)
Auction Start (15:00)
Auction End (18:00)
Location
Westbury Gallery, Westbury Hotel, Conduit Street, London, W1S 2YF
Nearest tube stations: Bond Street, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus
For general enquiries contact Shivani Mehra: shivani[.]conferroauctions.com
Notes for Editors:
About Conferro Auctions
Conferro Auctions is a new London-based auction house specialising exclusively in Indian art and collectables. Conferro brings rare and unique items of Indian cultural heritage to the international art market. As an authority on Indian art and collectables, Conferro Auctions aims to strengthen the cultural ties between India and the global market. They lead existing and new collectors alike, into a burgeoning marketplace. Showcasing regional Indian art and collectables of the finest quality, Conferro’s establishment heralds a new era for the Indian art market. Passionate about preserving India's rich cultural heritage for future generations, Conferro Auctions brings to London art and collectables from one of the world's oldest civilisations.
About Sharan Seth | Founder & Director
Sharan Seth was born in New Delhi. He graduated with a Bachelors of Commerce from Delhi University and went on to complete a Masters in Finance and Management at the University of Essex. Seth is an art consultant who specialises in acquisitions and development of art banks, including purchasing Indian heritage works by Syed Haider Raza and Hemendra Majumdar. In his spare time, Seth collects Indian artefacts including one of his most treasured collections: old coins from the time of Akbar the Great, the third Emperor of the Mughal Dynasty in India. Seth is also an avid supporter of charity, contributing to the work of the Blind Relief Association - a school for the blind in New Delhi, India.
About Julian Farrow | Director
Julian Farrow started his career at Sotheby's where he was instrumental in the creation of "Sotheby's: Preferred" - a global reward programme created for the top clients of the auction house. Julian became the Worldwide Head of this exciting and innovative programme. Julian then set up his own art, luxury and lifestyle consultancy, working with diverse organisations appealing to the UHNW communities. Julian has assisted brands such as Garage CCC and Garage Magazine, KRUG Champagne House, Cartier, Pavilion of Art and Design, Ralph Lauren and Bulgari. In addition, Julian directed the Tretyakov Family's Russian focused art gallery, Art Sensus. Julian is currently the Consultant Editor to the Mayfair Times and sits on the Membership Committee for both The Arts Club and Morton's. Julian is also a founder and trustee of the children's charity, The Childhood Trust.
About Ashanti Omkar | Bollywood Expert
Ashanti Omkar is an expert in Indian cinema and Bollywood, who has enjoyed a decade working in print, radio, web and TV. As a film journalist, she has written more than a thousand published articles as well as cover stories, in magazines and newspapers. Omkar is a contributing editor for the UK’s largest circulation film publication, the Cineworld Cinemas Unlimited Magazine. Omkar also provides regular Bollywood commentary for BBC London and BBC West Midlands. She contributes to Monocle Magazine Radio 24, providing cultural and film updates, as well as working with the London Indian Film Festival, Europe’s leading festival for independent cinema from the subcontinent. She is often quoted in Digital Spy, The National and The Guardian. She has interviewed Bollywood personalities including: Dev Anand, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra and double Oscar and Grammy winner AR Rahman.
About Pratham UK | Charity Partner
Pratham, which means ‘First’ in Hindi was founded in 1994 in Mumbai by UNICEF to help provide basic literacy to India’s 100 million illiterate children. Through its Read India campaign which began in 2008, Pratham has now reached over 35 million children across 17 Indian states. Pratham is a grassroots based NGO and works with young people, village communities, governments, corporates and volunteers to provide a model that is economic, scalable and does not replicate government infrastructure. Pratham UK supports and fundraises for development interventions including improving literacy and arithmetic at primary and secondary level, protecting vulnerable children from child labour and providing greater opportunities for young women to return to school. For more information visit.
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