Art Remba Introduces 'Rental' Art The Indian Scene, as Seen From New York Prices for modern South Asian art have skyrocketed in recent years in the United States, as deep-pocketed collectors bid up works by well-known names and newcomers alike. For many Indian Americans and others interested in work from the region, buying a quality piece is now out of reach. But that doesn't mean fans of South Asian art can't hang a piece on their walls, thanks to Art Remba, an art "rental" service that specializes in South Asian art. Anyone in the New York City area interested in renting art work can apply to become a member on Art Remba's Web site. If they're approved (following an insurance company check), they pay between $50 to $700 a month to borrow a piece from a selection of more than 70 works of modern and contemporary South Asian art, including established artists like Francis Newton Souza, M.F. Husain and Anjolie Ela Menon as well as up-and-comers like the painter G.R. Iranna. The company delivers and installs the art, which ranges in value from $2,000 to $160,000, (the priciest piece currently is a 1963 abstract painting from S.H. Raza.) After living with the piece, customers can choose to keep it permanently: 50 percent of what they paid in rent goes towards the purchase price. Nahema Mehta founded Art Remba after earning a masters in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art. "A lot of young professionals love art but don't really know their taste yet, and I wanted to let them experience a work before they commit to buying it," she said. Ms. Mehta sources her pieces from the Nolita Indian art gallery Aicon, and splits the rental revenue with the owners. So far, the company has a dozen members, all of whom are in their early 30s, she said. The works generally aren't the artist's most desirable ones (which generally have already been snapped up by collectors with plenty of cash), and choices are somewhat limited, but Ms. Mehta says she has plans to expand by teaming up with more galleries. While South Asian art is currently her focus, she's also branching out into different genres: She recently started offering contemporary Chinese and European photography through PX Photography Gallery, which has showrooms in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Beijing.