Collecting: From Private Passion to Public Legacy

Kiran Nadar is the Chairperson, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, India's first philanthropic private museum of modern and contemporary art. Through her unique vision, consistent efforts and unfailing enthusiasm, she has given Indian art a global platform- Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), established in 2010. Celebrating over 16 years of cultural leadership, the museum’s ever-expanding collection of over 16,000 artworks from South Asia features some of the most significant modern and contemporary works, now broadening its scope to include classical, vernacular and indigenous art. Awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2024 for her distinguished service to the fields of art and philanthropy in India and she has also been recognized globally as one of the 100 most influential individuals in contemporary art. Through her visionary leadership, she has transformed Indian art's global presence by forging groundbreaking collaborations that span across continents including Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Tate Modern (London), Sharjah Art Foundation (Sharjah), Barbican (London) and many more. She was also the driving force behind the India Pavilion at the 2019 Venice Biennale—a groundbreaking collaboration between the Ministry of Culture, KNMA, CII and NGMA. Building on this momentum of cultural expansion, KNMA is set to open a spectacular new state-of-the-art building near Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. Covering 100,000 square meters (over 1 million square feet), this stand alone architectural marvel aims to be a global cultural hub for visual arts, music, dance, and theatre, positioning itself as an international cultural destination accessible to diverse audiences.

Dipti Mathur is a collector of South Asian art. She has a Ph.D. from IIT, Kanpur and a postdoc from MIT. She serves on the Board of the Asian Art Museum, the Advisory Board of the KNMA, the Executive Council of the Mittal Institute at Harvard and chairs the Arts Advisory Board of the Institute of South Asia Studies, Berkeley. Dipti has been a trustee of the Seattle Art Museum and the San Jose Museum of Art. She has helped build the contemporary Indian art collections of the Met, the SAM, the SJMA, the Asian, and the Asia Society Museums.

Kito de Boer had a 30 year career at McKinsey. Initially in London before moving to Delhi in 1993 with his wife, Jane and 3 children. In 2000 they moved to Dubai to set up the Middle East Office. In 2015 Kito was appointed by Secretary of State, Kerry to both found the Initiative for the Palestinian Economy and also to take over from Tony Blair as head of the Quartet- the body representing:US,EU,UN and Russia - to support the Peace Process between Israel and Palestine. Kito and Jane were based in Jerusalem for over 3 years. Kito and Jane started collecting South Asian Art when they lived in Delhi and have remained active. Their collection focuses on the Twentieth Century across most of the schools with a strong representation of: Souza, Raza, Pyne, Broota as well as (early) Bengal and contemporary artists such as Ayesha Sultana.They published a book called Modern Indian Painting that provides both an overview of the main schools and also record of their collecting journey. Kito is now retired from corporate life. He is Chair of Antara International which seeks to raise funds to support the Antara Foundation an organization that focuses on supporting vulnerable mothers and infants in their first 1000 days in Northern India.

Minal Vazirani co-founded Saffronart in 2000 and has been a driving force behind the auction house’s growth, leading efforts across strategy, business development, technology, and finance. Her leadership has been pivotal in expanding the company’s operations and establishing its presence in Mumbai, Delhi, New York, and London. She has been an avid art collector for nearly three decades and has curated and organised exhibitions of Indian art both in India and internationally. She is a co-founder of Art Mumbai, the city’s first dedicated art fair, featuring a meticulously curated array of modern and contemporary art from both India and South Asia as well as a robust roster of galleries and participation from foundations and distinguished art institutions. Minal has co-founded and leads the Saffronart Foundation, an arts organisation which aims to provoke and facilitate critical thinking with initiatives at the intersection of art, culture and social change. Additionally, she is the co-chair of the South Asia Acquisitions Committee at the Tate Modern, London, the chair of South Asia Committee for Women to Watch 2027 by the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., and on the advisory board of St+art Mumbai Urban Art Festival (MUAF). She also serves on the advisory board of the Aangan Trust, an NGO working to protect children from harm and exploitation across India. She has also served on advisory boards for the Friends of Sir JJ School of Art Trust and Time Out India, and co-chaired the FICCI Committee on Arts and Business. A sought-after industry expert, Minal is a regular panellist and speaker at art and jewellery events. She was a fellow of the Inaugural Class of Ananta Aspen’s Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She has contributed to the Art Asia Pacific Almanac to reflect on the trajectory of Indian art, and in 2005, she led a review of the development of Saffronart when the Harvard Business School put together a case study on the company, which continues to be studied by MBA students globally. Before founding Saffronart, Minal worked as a management consultant with Booz, Allen & Hamilton in Mumbai, where she handled projects across industries in the U.S., Southeast Asia, and India. She holds an MBA from INSEAD in France, where she was awarded the Sasakawa Fellowship, and a BSc in Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering with a minors focus on Art History and Indian History from the University of California, Los Angeles.