Indian & South Asian - General

Art in India and South Asia is as old as the civilizations themselves, dating from primitive petroglyphs in the prehistoric era to the flourishing contemporary art scene that exists today. This is an art category that is particularly rich in tradition and history as well as exciting new developments in technology and artistic influences.

Indian and South Asian art has evolved and gained complexity over millennia, making a wide variety of eras and types of art available to collectors. Art from this part of the world often tells the story of religious and political influences, making Indian and South Asian sculptures in particular interesting to discover and collect. During the Gupta period (320 CE - circa 550 CE), carved sculptures of Hindu, Jainist, and Buddhist deities proliferated.

The religious sculptures of Gandhara, which now comprises parts of modern Afghanistan and Pakistan, belong to the Greco-Buddhist style, reflecting the influence of Alexander the Great’s conquest of the region centuries prior. Today, the art of India and South Asia continues to reflect the influence of other non-indigenous cultures including the Persians in the 12th Century and the British in the 19th.

Contemporary Indian and South Asian art is even further augmented and transformed as native art forms including metal and lost wax casting are combined with the advent of new technology. It is this continual evolution, along with a multi-cultural dialogue, that have shaped Indian and South Asian art into an intriguing and exciting subject for art collectors.