FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The gallery is located in Palo Alto, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Paintings can be viewed by prior appointment only, Monday through Friday. To schedule an appointment, please give us a call at + 1 (650) 770 – 9088 or send an e-mail to info@laasyaart.com.

Most paintings on our website can be viewed at the gallery, with the exception of some prints. Please inquire via info@laasyaart.com if you would like to view a specific painting.

Please hover over or click on the images to view each artwork’s corresponding details and pricing.

Almost all paintings sold by Laasya Art gallery are sourced directly from the artists. We also provide a certificate of authenticity with each sold painting. This certifies that the purchased painting is an original piece, not a copy or a fake.

We primarily sell contemporary, modern and traditional Indian art, as well as limited edition signed prints. Traditional Indian art includes art forms like Mithila (Madhubani) and Kalamkari paintings. The limited edition prints are by modern artists like M.F. Husain and S.H. Raza.

The majority of paintings are on canvas, although we show a variety of mediums including paper and cloth. Our artists come from a range of emerging, mid-career and established backgrounds, including Padma Shri awardees and artists who have gained international recognition. We also frequently add new artists to our collection.

Sales tax will be charged if you are based in California and the paintings are shipped/delivered in California. However, if you are based outside of California and the paintings are shipped to your out-of-state address, there is no sales tax charged.

Yes, we encourage Bay Area clients to see the paintings hung in their home before finalizing a decision. This is one of the key advantages of buying art locally, and it is important to us that our clients buy from a place of comfort and confidence.

Our installer can bring the painting(s) to your home for a trial installation. His fee covers the costs of safely transporting works from the gallery to the home and hanging the painting(s), round-trip travel time and overall time spent in the client’s home. Please inquire for a quote.

Many local clients find this very useful as the entire family, including the children and sometimes grandparents too, get a chance to react to the painting and be part of the decision-making process. Additionally, they get to see firsthand how well it works with their space.

Yes, most clients find this very helpful. Visiting the client’s home helps us to better understand their aesthetic sense and how the family uses the space — which walls or areas are high priority and which are relatively low priority.

This visit helps us know our clients better as people, because ultimately our home — and the art displayed inside — is an extension of who we are as individuals. Knowing the clients and their space helps us make recommendations of which other artists the client might like, both within our collection and beyond it.

We do charge a fee for this visit, which includes approximately 1 to 1.5 hours of time spent at your home and round-trip travel time. Please inquire for a quote based on your project and location.

Yes, we are happy to recommend professionals in the area who will assist you with these services, and you can work directly with them. We only recommend framers that we have worked with directly or framers that our clients strongly recommended.

Alternatively, we can facilitate the entire process for a fee. This typically involves a visit to the framer, the selection of framing material including consideration of pricing and availability, the review of photos of the client’s intended placement in the home and the final coordination between the client and framer for delivery. Please inquire for a quote based on your project.

Yes, we do work with an experienced art installer who can hang artwork for local clients. Please inquire for a quote.

Delivery and installation is particularly helpful when an artwork is very large and bulky, including 4×6 foot paintings and up. Large works require special handling and typically do not fit in a regular SUV or sedan, making transportation and installation challenging.

All of our canvases do come with picture hanging wire and hooks, so if you prefer to hang the painting yourself, it is installation-ready. Please note that this does not apply to paintings that are shipped rolled in a tube.

Yes, we are set up to sell art online and ship throughout the United States as well as worldwide. In the recent past, we have shipped artworks to Europe, Africa and Asia.

Our paintings are packed by professionals, and we typically transport artworks via UPS or Fedex. Depending on size, material and whether the work is stretched, paintings can be shipped flat in a crate, in a cardboard box (if within the US) or rolled in a tube. Please note that shipping, handling and packing fees are usually calculated upon purchase and included on your invoice.

It is important to us that our clients are happy with the painting they have purchased, and we offer returns and exchanges for remote clients who are based in the United States. Some exceptions apply, such as original paintings by the masters.

Typically, we ask that clients notify us of their intent to return within 24 hours of receipt and then initiate return shipment within 48 hours of receipt (or if that falls on a weekend, on the next business day). The client is responsible for return packing and shipping at their expense, and the painting must be returned in the same perfect condition in order to be eligible for exchange.

Yes, we are well-connected with the artist community in India and can source original paintings for you. You won’t have to worry about couriers, risk of damage, customs clearance and other logistical hurdles — we will take care of all of this for you. We can also help you with framing and installation.

Yes, we do help clients with secondary sales on a case-by-case basis, especially if the work is by one the artists we represent, or by a contemporary or modern master which may be of interest to our collectors.

In the recent past, we helped sell a painting from 1969 by artist Senaka Senanayake, which was bought by the seller in the early 1970s. The seller was based in the US, but we found a buyer in Europe for this work and facilitated the entire process.

Yes, we frequently collaborate with private collectors, art dealers and partner galleries to source original paintings by Indian Modern masters. As part of this process, we provide condition reports, provenance and authentication. Please inquire via info@laasyaart.com for more details.

Many of our clients are first-time art buyers, and over the years, here are some of the reasons they have mentioned on why they chose to buy art from us:

• We personalize our services to find the right artwork for you and your space.
  We value the process of getting to know our clients and their specific taste. We make it a priority to see their home in person or via photos, so we can better advise them on which artworks will complement their space as well as recommend other artists. Most clients have found this very helpful, especially in the initial stages of buying art when they are not yet sure what will work for them.
• You can see the paintings in person and in your home before making a decision to buy.
  Clients in the Bay Area have the opportunity to view the artworks in person and see them hung in their home prior to committing to a purchase, which is impossible to do with an online art purchase.
• We provide start-to-finish service, making the art collecting process seamless and stress-free.
  We strive to make the process of buying art as smooth as possible by providing clients assistance with delivery, installation and framing; please see Section 2 above for more details.
• We offer the option to exchange a painting for US clients.
  For remote clients in the US, we do offer exchanges if a painting does not meet expectations or does not work in their space; please see Section 2 for more details.

We have been coordinating commissions for many years and have evolved a process that works very well for both our clients and our artists. We will work with you and the artist to create an original painting that fits your overall vision, taste and physical space. We can also personalize your artwork, such as incorporating family names or other special motifs.

For example, the poem ‘Where the mind is without fear, and the head is held high’ by Rabindranath Tagore was a favorite of this client’s family. When they commissioned a painting by artist Jagannath Paul, they requested to have the poem in the backdrop as a design element. They also had their children’s names incorporated into the painting in a very discreet way. For their next commission, they have already expressed interest in incorporating the poem ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling into the painting!

As a resource for clients, we have put together a commissions guide on our website with examples of previously commissioned paintings.

Additionally, we have written several blogs that provide an in-depth look at creating recent commissions, including paintings by Anuradha Thakur and Basuki Das Gupta.

Yes, we work with clients from all over the world on commission projects. Some of our recent commissions were completed with clients in Asia, as well as by remote US-based clients from southern California and Texas.

It is important to take steps to protect and preserve your art, including where to hang it safely and how to clean it occasionally. As a resource for clients, we have written a guide on the best art care tips for canvases and works on paper. We are also happy to connect you with a professional art conservator if you have a damaged painting that requires restoration.

Many of our clients are first-time art buyers too, and over the years, we have learned a lot about buying original Indian art from the perspectives of both client and gallerist. While there is no ‘right’ way to collect art — the approach varies from person to person, we do recommend some best practices on how to educate yourself, hone your aesthetic preferences and trust your instincts. Visit our guide for more art buying tips for beginners.