LA Galarte opened with a collector's art exhibition on June 26. 1988 The gallery's dream and commitment are blended together In a sincere desire to present the world of art to art lovers through interaction, suffusion and diffusion of ideas. It is La Galarie's aim that people appreciate art and promote artlots, thus inspiring them to explore the world of art.
Over the year’s La Galerie strove to provide a satisfying venue where indigenous art forma and movements and Internationa) perspectives can meet, exchange and thus be further enriched. Occasionally La Galarte sponsored and hosted concerts recital of instruments and theatrical per formances. This is one field in which the gallery now hopes to expand
Till November 1993. a total of 89 exhibitions along with two annual auctions were held. But what Is of more excitement and value is the variety that the gallery could offer its visitors. la Galarte has hosted painting exhibitions of different media; photographic series: exhibits of clay pottery; ceramics; textiles: water hyacinth products and furniture: the first ever mask exhibition in the country by artist Saldul Haque Juise. and more. Among those whose works have been shown at La Galerie are frontline painters of the country including Quamrul Hassan. Mohammad Kibria. Hamiduzzaman Khan. Abdul Muqtadir. and Shamsul Islam Nizami. Equally important to us have been the young promising artists: Jamal Ahmed. Ruhul Amin Kajal. Wakilur Rahman, Sahadat Hossain. Ranjit Das. Kanak. Chanpa Chakma. K M Mithu. Kamrun Nahar. Suralya and Alpana — to name only a few. La Galerie has put on display the works of many fresh talents who now bring the country laurels from abroad.
La Galerie's dream is to go beyond the national art world by inviting participation from outside the country. In this venture it has been very successful with exhibitions by two noted painters from neighbour Ing West Bengal, India: Shuvaprasanna and Sovon Som. Those who saw Suvaprasanna s series on birds will long remember It. Sovon Som's exhibition was followed by a lively seminar on contemporary art of the region. La Galerie's vision Is to make more and more such delightful events possible.
Today Dhaka sees a boom of art galleries. When La Galerie had started its journey, there were few private art galleries In Dhaka. So far. the organizers have been able to keep the
gallery running without making it a totally commercial venture.
La Galerie believes that art exposure to public is at an embryonic stage and therefore thinks frequent exhibitions help the frubllc to acquaint them selves with art. Some might criticise and relate Its activity with 'what the producers of powdered milk product did by giving away the free powdered milk through the Red Cross back in the sixties. Unfortunately, this is the way of inducing the people to get used to something. Sometimes ft Is good, sometime it Is bad.
In Bangladesh, collectors of art have so far been limited to a small circle of urban elites. Few middle class art lovers can afford to spend thousands of taka on a painting or a sculpture.
But the rapid growth of art galleries In Dhaka in the recent years indicates that art now at tracts a wider circle of people. It is tn»e. that the major collectors are still those people with money to spare nevertheless art lovers with limited resources are also venturing into the market. albeit timidly With the growing number of galleries and exhibitions, people In general are getting an opportunity to see. enjoy and appreciate art.
To promote enthusiasm and excitement about art among the artists and art lovers. La Galerie held an auction of art In December 1991. It was also an attempt to raise some funds for the non-commercial gallery Almost all the leading artists of the country participated in the auction Shuvaprasanna a renowned painter from India also joined in. "^he auctioneer, despite his total inexperience did an excellent Job. Tim Bridges, an expatriate British gentleman has now become La Galerie's permanent auctioneer It was great fun and excitement So it has been the last year, with more artists taking part In the event. And hopefully. It is going to be the same this year
Fifty artists are participating in the 1993 exhlbitlon/auction of La Galerie Artists both young ijnd senior are participating in this annual event. The names Include: Professors Safiuddin, Mohammad Kibria. Abdul Baset, Am* Mam, Qayyum Chowdhury and Abdur Razzaque.
-SB