BETTER THAN THE BEST

I am no art critic or big art collector. But was invited to write a small note as a patron member of Aura Art on Shaikh Yousuf Ali's works by my mentor in the art world for whom I have tremendous respect, Daljit Singh ji. He & his sons are one of the few people I have seen in this industry who selflessly have made it their goal to promote true art with a humane touch, away from the commercialisation we all see around us today surrounding the industry.

When I was first introduced to Yousuf Ali's works by Aura Art, I was impressed by the sheer strength of the strokes, the rhythm, the originality, the versatility, and the use of colours by the artist. His figures have great accuracy, construction and form. I have owned M F Husain's works and I must agree that I would swap them any day to hang one of Yousuf Ali's works instead! I came home and searched the web for more data on the artist and was shocked to see not a single thread on him anywhere on the internet, as if the guy never existed! Despite being in the league of Contemporary artists of India with appreciation from some of the finest in the international space, he did not find a mention on the net. And yet amazingly (and not surprisingly), his works are part of some of the biggest art collectors in India! It probably speaks a lot about him, having remained unaffected by the glitter of the art world which some of his contemporaries were basking in.

I would completely agree with Shri Keshav Malik's assessment of Yousuf Ali's works as someone who painted to please himself and whose work touches us by its sincerity as well as unpretentiousness.

It is most fitting that Aura Art is taking such painful efforts to compile the works of this great artist in a single book so that the world can really see them all and give this artist his true fame, which he so rightfully deserves, in the world of fine art.

Basant Agarwal
(A qualified Chartered Accountant with nearly two decades of rich experience in the financial services domain. Mr Basant Agarwal has held various senior management positions with JM Morgan Stanley and JM Financial. Prior to heading Valpro in 2009, he was Managing Director at JM Financial, heading their Special Situations Fund.)