Women have been making significant strides as art gallery owners, challenging traditional gender roles, and contributing to the art world as business leaders, curators, and advocates for artists. Despite the progress, challenges, and barriers persist for women in the art gallery industry, including issues related to gender bias, unequal access to resources, and lack of representation in leadership roles. However, they continue to make important contributions to the art world and one such business entrepreneur is Gitanjali Maini. Gitanjali is the Founder and managing director of Gallery G, which is an art gallery based out of Bengaluru, Karnataka. Gitanjali has been striving to make a difference through her work by nurturing and promoting artistic ecosystems where artists can be creative, find inclusiveness, and get recognized for their work. In an in-depth conversation with Women Entrepreneur magazine, Gitanjali shares with us her professional journey and the various lessons she has gathered on the way. Let’s hear it from her.

What inspired you to establish Gallery G? Tell us about the underlying idea behind the venture and its key area of specialization.

The art industry in India started evolving dramatically and rapidly in the early noughties. Liberalization has  set the stage and facilitated a whole new community of artists, collectors, and other stakeholders to enter the industry. They needed a facilitator to connect them all and this inspired me to establish Gallery G. I started Gallery g in 2003 on Lavelle Road, Bengaluru, and curated a vast array of artists from master artists such as S. H. Raza, and Yusuf Arakkal and younger artists such as Bose Krishnamachari to pioneers like Rabindranath Tagore, Jogesh Chandra Seal, Raja Ravi Varma, and their counterparts. The Gallery G services suite extends to include an investment consultancy, called ‘Art of Investment’, in tandem with facilities for valuation and authentication to bring clarity and transparency to the buying and selling processes.

How do your prior professional experiences empower you as a business leader today?

I began my career as an HR intern at Infosys and that helped me hone my people skills. I realized that I had to make some changes to the set working model in the art industry. From starting the Artistic Initiative Program (AIP), where collectors rely on my and galleries' judgment to starting a foundation for India’s leading artist Raja Ravi Varma in order to preserve his artistic legacy or establish a personal passion project with, the Sandeep and Gitanjali Maini Foundation, which supports Indian art, history, heritage, and culture, I hope to promote art and artists.

What are some of the most challenging aspects of leading an art gallery in today’s business climate? How do you overcome these roadblocks?

Art is an intangible commodity in a dynamic market. It’s hard to draw lines or parallels in the industry because some people trade in for money, some do it as passion, and others are involved as patrons. These Lines appear more circular and therefore one needs to support, buy and create to provide and facilitate the growth of the art industry. All these verticals have to be nurtured and therefore, it becomes important for all of us who work in the art industry to play different roles and perform them to the best of our ability.

"At Gallery G, We Believe In & Promote Art That Is Expressive & Inclusive To Elevate & Enrich Souls & Art Lovers Everywhere!"

The art industry and artists need patrons and an ecosystem to flourish and I try to provide them resources or support organizations that do. I also try to manage legacies left behind by artists who are no longer amongst us.

What are some of the milestones that you have achieved throughout your professional journey? What is your success mantra?

The first biggest milestone is that Gallery G turns 20 solely by having sold works of and supporting India’s top artists and without having a single binding contact with artists to date. Second is starting the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation, an organization that manages the heritage of Raja Ravi Varma. Third would be the Sandeep and Gitanjali Maini Foundation, which provides support to building Indian talent in the field of art, history, heritage, and culture. I have only one mantra to success and that is, if you give, you will receive. It encourages a proactive and positive approach towards giving, with the belief that it will lead to receiving blessings and success in return.

What has the growth journey been like so far for Gallery G? What is the future roadmap look like for Gallery G?

In the last two decades, it has truly been a journey of growth for Gallery g. what started out as a small venture in Bengaluru has now grown to occupy more than 3000 square feet of space, a team of more than ten people with diverse skill sets and two not for profit institutions that work in the art space. During the next five years, we aim to fortify all these strengths and focus on expanding our work into the global market.

Gitanjali Maini, Founder & Managing Director, Gallery G

Gitanjali Maini is an art patron and entrepreneur who believes in supporting and growing the art ecosystem through the gallery and art-related institutions. She has won several Accolades for her work including the Art Mantram Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Hello Hall of South Award 2023 for building an Art Ecosystem, amongst many others.

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