Memories of my Paris exhibition at Galerie Elysee Miromesnil came flooding back. I was watching the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi being honoured at the Bastille Day celebrations this year on television.

That was 23 years ago and yet it felt like yesterday. As I reminisced about the exhibition, another memory came up – the gift of one free pizza in Paris!

This exhibition is very special for me in more ways than one. It was a learning experience about the challenges of getting a gallery to exhibit your artworks or to find patrons.

But where there is a will and faith in one’s art, doors do open. For me the door was Galerie Elysee Miromesnil.

Back in 1995, my late husband had been posted to Minsk in Belarus to open India’s first Embassy. He was the first Indian Ambassador to Belarus.

I expressed the desire to visit Paris and especially Giverny as I am an ardent fan of Monet.

After some discussion, my husband suggested I also visit some galleries and explore if I could get an exhibition of my works done. My trip to Paris was booked.

Finding a gallery to exhibit my art was far easier than said

Armed with my portfolio, I visited numerous galleries but was crestfallen when told they only exhibited famous artists or had their own artists.

At that time, I didn’t know that this is normal for galleries all over the world, including India.

Perhaps these galleries are averse to risk taking or maybe they want to make sure they get big commissions on sales. I agree that there are business considerations, but talent should also be promoted.

I had started my artist career just 6 years earlier and needed encouragement, not discouragement!

But Lady Luck favoured me when I visited rue de Miromesnil and entered Galerie Elysee Miromesnil.

The gallery owner was very kind and had a look at my portfolio.

I was offered dates which I immediately booked. The rest of my visit was spent touring museums and visited Giverny, my Mecca. I treated myself to seeing places there that I had only seen in paintings.

My exhibition took place in October 1995. The gallery owner told me that I didn’t have to sit in the gallery the whole day.

As he rightly pointed out, I was in Paris, and I should enjoy the city to the full.

The story of the free pizza.

I decided to walk around and see the sights. At lunchtime, I felt hungry and walked into a small and quaint restaurant and ordered a pizza.

After a while, I noticed that customers who had arrived after me were being served but my pizza was nowhere in sight!

I waited a little longer and then walked up to the manager and inquired about the pizza. The waiter was horrified that he had forgotten my order.

Apparently, it is quite common for people to go and sit in a restaurant without ordering anything. Perhaps he thought I was waiting for someone or just whiling away time.

In any case, a piping fresh pizza was served shortly thereafter. The restaurant refused to take payment for it. They wanted to make up for their error.

So, I got to eat a free pizza in a posh locality of Paris!

When my exhibition ended, the gallery owner gifted me a box of chocolates.

He was pleased with the way the exhibition had gone and I even received a positive review in the local papers.

The art critic had found my works interesting and noted the vibrant colours that I used with palette knives as well as my signature style.

Any artist who receives a sincere compliment is motivated to further develop their skills.

I left Paris with a sense of achievement.

Artwork from the Paris Exhibition

What I discovered about Galerie Elysee Miromesnil

Years later, I found out that the gallery owner had retired and moved to the south of France. I felt sad that I couldn’t tell him about how far I had come in my artistic journey.

But I discovered something else which has made that exhibition even more precious.

This gallery had exhibitions by many leading artists and movement creators!

There was Ernst Fuchs, an Austrian painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, architect, stage designer, composer, poet, and one of the founders of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism.

Fitzia, who was one of the most brilliant masters of collage, Gilles Marie Dupuy and France Zieseniss, the wife of the famous art historian Charles-Otto Zieseniss.

Each of these artists was famous in their field and I realized, this gallery was owned by a true connoisseur of art and talent.

He had seen a spark in me and gave me that opportunity of a lifetime without letting me know he showed stalwarts in the art field.

That encouragement helped me build a career and for that I am grateful. And for the free pizza in Paris!

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There’s a big difference between art that is commissioned and people telling the artist what to create without a thought to what the artist feels passionate about.

For one, commissioned artworks are paid for the other one is just free advice with no intent to buy or to support the artist in selling their works.

I’ve experienced both and this post is for younger artists who feel compelled to follow the dictates of others in order to get a foothold in the art market.

There are exceptions to the rule of course, when a fellow artist makes a suggestion keeping the style of the creator in mind.

During my exhibition at ICCR, Sonal Mansingh, the prominent Indian classical dancer who specializes in Bharatanatyam and Odissi who has known me for years made a suggestion.

It was a valuable suggestion and one that I have since explored – to transfer my art to other mediums and especially silk scarfs. You can view the use of the idea at the below link. (Use promo code XLEGXD before 31 August 2022 for a 15% discount. The offer is limited to the first 20 buyers).

Kusum Shukla on Fine Art America

This is in stark contrast to a curator of repute who told me to paint animals and figures because that sells!

If I had followed his advice, there would have been no difference between my art and the creative process that I use and that of fresh out of art school graduates who paint Buddhas and sell by the bulk.

As a senior artist, I feel it is my duty to encourage younger artists to allow their creativity to flourish and follow their passion.

The truth about allowing others to dictate your creativity and suffocating your passion

I read an article sometime back that addressed this issue of freedom of creativity.

Sadly, modern capitalism does trap artists into constantly being productive and making money wherever possible in their spare time. They feed into the idea that working in a hobby wouldn’t feel like working at all.

But that doesn’t really work.

Imagine having to clock into a job daily that you hate. The work is mundane, the commute is long, and your supervisors are careless. Would you enjoy waking up every morning?

While we all have to make money to survive, we all deserve to feel fulfilled after completing a hard day’s work.

Sure, we may receive a paycheck at the end of the week, but does that really make up for all the unhappy moments? Surely, the answer to that question is a resounding no.

Many blogs, books and articles are dedicated towards helping people find their passion. In fact, the self-help community is worth billions of dollars.

This statistic alone proves that people all over the globe are searching for a life of purpose. Individuals who are unhappy in their jobs are especially susceptible to soaking in as much information as they can on how to improve their life.

In order to really live a life of fulfillment and walk in your truth, you must follow your passion.

Although this sounds like a far-far-fetched idea, it’s actually quite attainable. All you need is a willing attitude, a bit of determination and a positive spirit.

Those, along with consistent hard work will help you live a life of passion. The advice that I’m sharing is relevant to everyone and not just artists.

Let’s consider how.

Determine Your Passion

Do you know what your passion is? If you want to start living a more fulfilled life, you must identify what drives you.

Ask yourself, is there an activity that gives you excitement?

Do you find yourself daydreaming about a particular field of interest?

What motivates you to get up in the morning?

The underlying answers to these questions will help you determine what your passion truly is. Once you uncover that, you’ll be able to make the necessary steps towards achieving it.

Learn Your Passion

My passion was to capture nature through my vision and put it on canvas. Maybe your passion is to become a chef?

Before you blindly pick up the pots and pans, learn your craft. Study from the greats and imitate their actions. Read and soak up as much information as you can on your particular interest.

This will help you improve your skills and train you to be the best chef you can. Then, you’re more likely to find employment or start a business revolving around your passion.

Remember, you can have a dream all you want, but it takes practice and hard work to turn it into a reality.

Start Taking Steps

After you’ve determined your passion and gathered enough information about the topic, now it’s time to put your work to the test. Take the necessary steps towards changing your current position and landing that dream job.

Take up an internship or shadowing job. Perhaps change your resume to reflect your new venture. Then, begin applying for the jobs that’ll get you one step closer to your passion.

When you put in the necessary work, it’s imperative that you get out of your comfort zone and really try to find your place. This will help you to lay the foundation for your future career.

Following your passions will make you a happier and more fulfilled person. Although I’ve focused primarily on employment, developing your passion doesn’t have to be within a job.

If your passion is to be a better artist, person or writer, then follow those dreams even if they’re just for your own personal development.

One of the best pieces of advice one could hear is to do everything with passion. From the smallest gesture to the biggest action, acting with passion will make you stand out in the crowd.

In turn, you’ll live a happier, more fulfilled life.

Patronage of the arts, including performing arts is not a new concept and is older than art galleries for promoting the art market.

Right from ancient time, patronage of the arts has been important in art history. When people think of patrons, they normally think about medieval and Renaissance Europe but this was a global practice.

One finds patrons in feudal Japan and other Asian countries where royalty and aristocracy encouraged art and the basics of patronage were the same.

Patrons drew contracts with artists to commission art or sculpture from them. The patron paid for the artist’s time, work and materials.

It wasn’t always a one-off patronage and in some cases the rich patron or institution provided ongoing financial support and backing.

It was a mutually beneficial relationship. The patron acquired high quality art works and the artist was allowed to focus on the creative process without worrying about earning a living or keeping starvation away from their door.

According to Wikipedia, Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another.

In the History of Art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists such as musicians, painters, and sculptors.

While sponsorship of artists and the commissioning of artwork is the best-known aspect of the patronage system, other disciplines have also benefited from patronage.

Think of Michelangelo and your mind immediately visualizes the Renaissance frescoes in Sistine Chapel, the scene of The Creation of Adam and sculptures which wouldn’t have been possible without the largesse of Lorenzo de’ Medici who funded the careers of internationally renowned artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli and Michelangelo.

Closer to home and equally famous worldwide is the Taj Mahal, an immense mausoleum of white marble built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by the order of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal .

The Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and considered to be the greatest architectural achievement in the whole range of Indo-Islamic architecture and imagine, it wouldn’t have been possible without the backing of a patron!

No wonder the reign of Shah Jahan, the fifth emperor, between 1628–58 is called the golden age of Mughal architecture!

Even before Shah Jahan, his grandfather Akbar was a great patron of painting and his sponsorship enabled painters to achieve great refinement.

“Although he is said to have been illiterate, Akbar assembled a royal atelier, first at Fatehpur Sikri, then at Lahore, from which he commissioned numerous illustrated manuscripts that incorporate Persian, Indian, and even European elements.

In fact, the artists who worked for Akbar, the first great Mughal patron of the arts of the book, included Persians as well as Indian Muslims and Hindus. This collaborative process helped to foster the development of a specifically Mughal style, which was initiated under Akbar. It is demonstrated by pages from diverse late-sixteenth-century manuscripts. This style of painting was further developed and refined during the reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan during the seventeenth century.”

Citation: Department of Islamic Art. “The Art of the Mughals before 1600.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mugh/hd_mugh.htm (October 2002)

Patrons in Modern Times

Of course there are patrons in modern times too. Corporates, hotels and even governments often commission art and art works for specific purposes or occasions.

Just before the Gulf War I was in talks to create art works for a Women and Children’s hospital rooms in Doha. It was the first time I saw the process of what commissioning art works was.

The patron was a Sheikh who wanted uniformity of art work in all the hospital rooms. He had hired an international interior designer to sources the paintings. It was an opportunity to create art that would brighten up the rooms. Everything had been discussed including the works being commissioned and the price.

Sadly, before the contract could be signed and my patronage commence, the Gulf War happened and the project never took off.

But life gives us a second chance and I got one as part of a group commissioning.

In 2004, The Indian Council of Cultural Relations commissioned art works to celebrate International Women’s Day. One part of the exhibition, Amrita Revisited had 53 painting on Amrita Shergill’s legendary canvas The Three Sisters.

Selected artists including myself were invited to create their expressions based on her famous painting Three Sisters. These artworks formed part of their collection Celebrating Women and this collection has travelled the world.

(This type of interpretive work is usually done to celebrate the great masters such as Van Gogh, Monnet and Picasso.)

Unless the artist has a gallery promoting them to their buyers, finding patrons who will buy all of the artist’s works is challenging. For one, the patron must love your work and have the money to invest in your artworks!

It’s one of the tragedies of Van Gogh’s life that he only sold one painting during his lifetime. He didn’t have a true patron although his brother Theo could be considered his patron.

But you don’t have to be royalty or a corporate or an institution with funds to buy one artist’s work. You can still build a collection of art works that resonate with you.

In fact there are benefits of becoming a patron of arts and not just painting.

7 Benefits of Being a Patron of the Arts

The arts seem to be slowing dying off in pandemic times even though galleries and organizations are moving art of all forms and mediums online. The one question nobody wants to answer is whether sales are taking place.

But the future looks optimistic with more online portals for artworks and the reopening of galleries, museums and other centers for art.

Now is a good time to consider getting involved with the arts.

t used to be far more common for the average person to attend an art gallery, orchestra performance, or the ballet. This is unfortunate, because the arts can add a tremendous amount of enrichment to our lives.

Consider the great benefits you’ll experience if you get involved with the arts:

You’ll be exposed to new people. Artists and those that support them are often really interesting. You’ll be surprised at the wide variety of people you’ll come across. Some of these new folks just might become friends, bringing exciting variety into your life.

There’s a saying that you’ll be the same in 10 years from now, aside from the books that you read and the people you meet. Meet some new people!

You’ll have new thoughts and perspectives. The art and people that you’re exposed to will change your mind about many things. You’ll consider things you’ve never even thought about before.

You’ll enrich your home. A home with artwork from a local artist has a very different feel to it. You can even purchase high quality prints from recognized art portals if the artist is not in your country or you cannot afford to purchase the original.

 To get an idea of what I’m saying, please visit my page on Fine Art America.

You can really explore and demonstrate your preferences when you’re exposed to different styles and can choose what you really prefer.

You’ll become more interesting. The more multi-layered you are, the more interesting you are to others. Plus, if you think about it, the most interesting people you know probably either travel a lot or spend time involved with the arts.

When others show more interest in you, you’ll become more confident and boost your self-esteem. It’s one of the few times you can make your life better while enjoying the process!

You’ll be more involved in your community. Local art galleries, theaters, musical productions, and other art-related activities are vital parts of any community. It’s another way you can get involved with others in your local area.

There is a great sense of camaraderie that exists within each artistic sphere.

There are frequent activities that always seem to be looking for more volunteers. You can also support local artists and productions with financial help. A little encouragement can go a long way.

You’ll make new connections. The more people you know the better. Many powerful people are interested in artistic endeavors.

You might meet the mayor or a local business person that could ultimately become a good friend.

As they say, “It’s all about who you know.” You never know who you’re going to meet when you become a patron of the arts.

Your children will benefit. Most kids love some aspect of the arts. The average 10-year old isn’t interested in the opera, but he might love an art festival at the park.

Ask your child to point out an artistic creation they like and inquire as to why they like it. You might learn something.

 The arts can enrich your life, if you’ll take the opportunity to expose yourself to the world of art. The people you’ll meet and the things you’ll learn about yourself through the arts will change your life.

 So go online or grab the local paper and see what’s happening in your community. Then plan who you will gift your patronage and support to for the week.

Want a jumpstart in your art patronage?

Use the code XLEGXD for a 15% discount between 30/07/2021 and 28/10/2021 at Kusum Shukla’s Fine Art America Shop.

Note: The photograph of Amrita Shergill’s Three Girls or Three Sisters as it is popularly known has been taken from Wikimedia Commons and is in the Public Domain.