Slivers from the Big Apple
APS MALHOTRA
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, opens its first licensed store in city.
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Connoisseurs of art, with a passion for history and an eye for antiquity, have a reason to cheer, as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, has opened its first licensed store at the Square Mall, Saket. As Karan Jain, the man behind the store, e
xplains, “I happened to visit one such store in a South East Asian country, where I saw this novel concept.” He elaborates, “I have an interest in history and the idea appealed to my instincts, as it gave collectors of art an opportunity to appreciate authentic designs which can otherwise be seen only in museums.”
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the most visited places in New York City, surely lives up to its name, with a collection of over two million art creations that span the course of human history – from the dawn of civilisation to the latest in contemporary digital art. As Jain says, “The museum came up with the concept of opening stores under their brand name, which would sell high quality reproductions of their art treasures.” He adds, “Every product is created by the museum after careful research, and expertly executed by the Metropolitan’s staff of art historians, designers and master craftspeople, to ensure that each reproduction bears the closest possible fidelity to the original.”
A visit to the tastefully simple but elegant store will reveal why the museum in New York is considered amongst the largest cultural institutions of world art – displaying such priceless items as the Medici Horse, based on a model by Giovanni Bologna (1527-1608), Russian Imperial Blue and White Crystal Earrings, based on intricate border designs by Peter Carl Faberge (1846-1920) and the Torso of a Boy, made during the Roman period of works created by Greek artists, somewhere around 425-400 B.C. – in what is perhaps the largest and most eclectic treasure house of art under one roof.
Expansion plans
Speaking about his plans, Jain recalls with a bit of nostalgia, “When I first approached the museum authorities, they were reluctant for a store in India, but after I persuaded them to visit Delhi they were bowled over by the retail revolution unfolding here and agreed to enter the Indian market. Going by the response to the store in such a short time, I plan to take it forward and expand into other cities.”
No wonder, the store, which targets a more inclusive and comprehensive strata of the shopping public (it also stores posters, bags, home décor, accessories, gifts, books and music besides sculptures and jewellery), is a place where those with an ardour for history and a knowledge of art, and the money to buy it, can revel in.
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