Economists in Love With Art
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In the field of economics, Padma Desai and Jagdish Bhagwati are a certified power couple. Both are professors of economics at Columbia University and leaders within the Council on Foreign Relations. And though they’re devoted to a life of numbers, they’re also passionate about art from their native country, India. Their sprawling apartment, located near Columbia, is filled with art that ranges from the second century to the modern era.
Upon entering their apartment, a visitor passes down a front hallway lined with 23 colorful 18thcentury Indian miniatures, which are small paintings on paper originally used to illustrate manuscripts. “They are so incredibly beautiful, but you don’t know who painted them,” Ms. Desai said.
The sparsely furnished living room is filled with 12 Indian statues, paintings, and a hanging fabric. The room has been minimally designed with modern Italian furniture to complement the more ornate Indian art works. There is no rug covering the floor; Ms. Desai prefers natural wood to better show off the sculptures.
Ms. Desai’s favorite sculpture is the Buddha of Nalanda, a red stone statue made between the second and fifth century CE. She bought it several years ago at Sotheby’s in an intense bidding war. “I was determined to get it,” Ms. Desai said. “There were only two of us bidders in the end, and the other one turned out to be a friend.”
The statue originally came from Mathura, near Delhi, and is less ornate than most Indian sculptures. The Buddha’s round face and serene facial expression make it one of Ms. Desai’s favorite pieces. “He is at peace with himself and the world,” Ms. Desai said. “He looks natural and is a very alive person.”
On the wall by the statue hangs a cloth — painted with vegetable dyes — made in Jaipur more than 300 years ago. The cloth depicts Krishna, a Hindu god, who is surrounded by many women. Also in the same room sits a drone, an Indian musical instrument used to determine scale, which represents a connection to Ms. Desai’s training in classical Indian singing.
At the opposite end of the room, above a velvet couch in sunset orange, hangs a 200-year-old wooden temple door from Gujarat and three separate parts of a wooden chariot from South India. The animals on the chariot are dueling mythological creatures with the body of a horse, trunk of an elephant, and claws of a lion. “In Indian mythology, they let their imagination go wild,” Ms. Desai said.
Now that the Bhagwatis have acquired a strong collection, they have decided to shift their focus away from expanding their art holdings. The couple will be working more with charities and philanthropy. Ms. Desai is also writing her 10th book, which is about America and the opportunities it offers to reinvent yourself. “This is a tough country, but you also can define your choice and work your way up the competitive system,” Ms. Desai said. “People find their own level in this country and it allows them to realize their goals.”
