Union Budget 2011: Artists welcome duty exemption on import of Indian artworks circulating abroad

KOLKATA: Art and cultural circles thumped their desks in response to finance minister Pranab Mukherjee's proposal to exempt duty on imports of artworks and antiquities for exhibition and display in India. Union Culture secretary Jawahar Sircar said artworks brought back from overseas would remain in India for permanent display.

"My minister Kumari Selja and myself definitely welcome the liberalisation of the provision for exemption of works of art and antiquities that are imported for being exhibited in a public museum or even private museums/galleries that are open for the general public," said Sircar.

The cuture minister will be notifying the details of the scheme to facilitate the return of Indian art and antiques as well as other art forms from foreign countries, he said. "It is an extremely proactive step that the government has taken to actively encourage private, corporate and public institutions to set up museums and galleries with this duty exemption. This will positively help non-government institutions grow from strength to strength," Sircar said.

The culture ministry is also formalising details of the proposed international award in the memory of Tagore that is to be given for promoting universal brotherhood.

"Indian artworks and antiques have a huge market abroad. People will certainly step forward to source such artworks from overseas and exhibit them here. Almost all countries worldwide are incentivised to bring back their heritage objects. India is one of the few countries where a duty on such imports was prevailing," said Prakash Kejariwal, director of Kolkata's Chitrakoot Art Gallery.

"There were great deal of procedural hurdles to import and exhibit Indian paintings and antiquities circulating internationally. The duty exemption should smoothen out this process. Art circles had appealed for such an exemp-tion. Indian audiences will be hugely educated if they are exposed to overseas Indian art. We will also approach the ministry for duty exemption even if these works are sold by galleries and bought by domestic Indians," Delhi-based Vadehra Art Gallery's director Arun Vadehra said.