MANAGING DIRECTOR OF SOTHEBY’S INDIA GAURAV BHATIA DEPARTS FOLLOWING SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS

Gaurav Bhatia.

January 07, 2019 at 10:59am

Nearly one month after Gaurav Bhatia, the managing director of Sotheby’s India, took a leave of absence following allegations of sexual misconduct, the arts professional has stepped down. During his two-year tenure at the auction house, he launched its inaugural auction in Mumbai, which fetched $7.9 million in November 2018. In a statement, Sotheby’s said, “We appreciate and thank him for his service.”
Accusations against Bhatia first surfaced on the anonymous Instagram account Scene and Herd (@herdsceneand), which has become an empowering platform for victims of sexual assault and harassment in the Indian art world. The posts detailing incidents with Bhatia describe interactions that ranged from unwanted touching to physical assault. Several other cultural figures have also been named on the account.

After Bhatia’s departure was announced, the account featured a new post informing its followers of the news. It reads: “We’re actually speechless right now. None of this work we are doing has been easy and we couldn’t have done this without these amazing courageous individuals who put their trust in us and for allies of different kinds helping us unconditionally.”

The increasing number of reports of sexual harassment in the South Asian art world led more than 270 figures to sign a statement calling for the creative community to protect victims and advocating for “the necessary legal and informal support mechanisms” to address the challenges they face by coming forward.

The statement, which began circulating before Christmas, reads: “Survivors who publicly tell their stories face serious forms of retaliation. They are reluctant to disclose their identities because they fear losing work. As a community, we commit to ensuring that people who are speaking out are protected, and that professional opportunities are not denied to them. We respect the truth and stand in solidarity with those who come out with their stories.”

Gaurav Bhatia resigns from Sotheby's after sexual misconduct allegations

Bhatia, who was the South Asia operations head and the driving force behind Boundless: India, Sotheby's maiden auction in the country, put in his papers on December 20, 2018

 PTI        Last Updated: January 6, 2019  | 11:09 IST

Image source: LinkedIn/gaurav-bhatia-a556482

Gaurav Bhatia has resigned as Sotheby's India MD, nearly a month after he went on a leave of absence following allegations of sexual misconduct, the auction house said on Saturday.

Bhatia, who was the South Asia operations head and the driving force behind Boundless: India, Sotheby's maiden auction in the country, put in his papers on December 20, 2018.

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Sotheby's Managing Director of India, Gaurav Bhatia, resigned on December 20th, 2018 after two years with the company, during which time he launched the inaugural Mumbai auction. We appreciate and thank him for his service, the auction house told PTI.

Bhatia, in a statement, said he had decided to move on after two successful years with the auction house.

After two enriching years and the stellar opportunity to launch Sotheby's inaugural auction in Mumbai, I have decided to move on. It has been a pleasure working with the great team we have built, and I will enjoy watching them continue to build Sotheby's future in India. I wish them the very best," he said.

According to the anonymous allegations against Bhatia that surfaced on social media, he touched the victims' inappropriately and forcibly tried to kiss them.

Bhatia was among the big names that were called out in the Me Too movement in the Indian art world, besides leading artists like Jatin Das, Riyas Komu and most recently Subodh Gupta. Also 

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Tags: Gaurav Bhatia Resigns | Gaurav Bhatia | Sotheby’S India Head | Sotheby’S India | Metoo | MD Of Sotheby's India | Sexual Harassment Allegations | #Metoo | Sotheby's MD

Sotheby’s India head Gaurav Bhatia resigns after #MeToo

By: PTI | Published: January 6, 2019 5:27 AM

Gaurav Bhatia has resigned as Sotheby's India managing director, nearly a month after he went on a “leave of absence” following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Bhatia, in a statement, said that he had decided to “move on” after two successful years with the auction house.

Gaurav Bhatia has resigned as Sotheby’s India managing director, nearly a month after he went on a “leave of absence” following allegations of sexual misconduct. Bhatia, who was the south Asia operations head and the “driving force” behind Boundless: India-Sotheby’s maiden auction in the country, put in his papers on December 20, 2018. “Sotheby’s managing director of India, Gaurav Bhatia, resigned on December 20, 2018 after two years with the company, during which he had launched the inaugural Mumbai auction. We appreciate and thank him for his service,” the auction house told PTI.

Bhatia, in a statement, said that he had decided to “move on” after two successful years with the auction house. “After two enriching years and the stellar opportunity to launch Sotheby’s inaugural auction in Mumbai, I have decided to move on. It has been a pleasure working with the great team we have built, and I will enjoy watching them continue to build Sotheby’s future in India. I wish them the very best,” he said.

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According to the anonymous allegations against Bhatia that surfaced on social media, he touched the victims inappropriately and forcibly tried to kiss them. Bhatia was among the big names that were called out in the Me Too movement in the Indian art world, besides leading artists like Jatin Das, Riyas Komu and most recently Subodh Gupta.

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Gaurav Bhatia resigns as Sotheby’s India MD, month after Me Too allegations

Bhatia, who was the South Asia operations head and the “driving force” behind “Boundless: India”, Sotheby’s maiden auction in the country, put in his papers on December 20, 2018.

BUSINESS Updated: Jan 06, 2019 00:01 IST

Press Trust of India New Delhi

Gaurav Bhatia resigns as Sotheby’s India MD, month after Me Too allegations.(HT File Photo)

Gaurav Bhatia has resigned as Sotheby’s India MD, nearly a month after he went on a “leave of absence” following allegations of sexual misconduct, the auction house said on Saturday.

Bhatia, who was the South Asia operations head and the “driving force” behind “Boundless: India”, Sotheby’s maiden auction in the country, put in his papers on December 20, 2018.

“Sotheby’s Managing Director of India, Gaurav Bhatia, resigned on December 20th, 2018 after two years with the company, during which time he launched the inaugural Mumbai auction. We appreciate and thank him for his service,” the auction house told PTI.

Bhatia, in a statement, said he had decided to “move on” after two successful years with the auction house.

“After two enriching years and the stellar opportunity to launch Sotheby’s inaugural auction in Mumbai, I have decided to move on. It has been a pleasure working with the great team we have built, and I will enjoy watching them continue to build Sotheby’s future in India. I wish them the very best,” he said. According to the anonymous allegations against Bhatia that surfaced on social media, he touched the ‘victims’ inappropriately and forcibly tried to kiss them.

Bhatia was among the big names that were called out in the Me Too movement in the Indian art world, besides leading artists like Jatin Das, Riyas Komu and most recently Subodh Gupta.

First Published: Jan 05, 2019 21:26 IST

 tags

• Gaurav Bhatia
• Sotheby
• Mumbai
• Auction house
• India
• Leave of absence
• South Asia
• month after Me Too allegation

Gaurav Bhatia resigns from Sotheby's a month after #MeToo allegations

PTI | Updated: Jan 5, 2019, 17:29 IST

NEW DELHI: Gaurav Bhatia has resigned as Sotheby's India MD, nearly a month after he went on a “leave of absence” following allegations of sexual misconduct, the auction house said on Saturday.

Bhatia, who was the South Asia operations head and the “driving force” behind “Boundless: India”, Sotheby's maiden auction in the country, put in his papers on December 20, 2018.

“Sotheby's Managing Director of India, Gaurav Bhatia, resigned on December 20th, 2018 after two years with the company, during which time he launched the inaugural Mumbai auction. We appreciate and thank him for his service,” the auction house told PTI.

Bhatia, in a statement, said he had decided to “move on” after two successful years with the auction house.

“After two enriching years and the stellar opportunity to launch Sotheby's inaugural auction in Mumbai, I have decided to move on. It has been a pleasure working with the great team we have built, and I will enjoy watching them continue to build Sotheby's future in India. I wish them the very best," he said.

According to the anonymous allegations against Bhatia that surfaced on social media, he touched the ‘victims' inappropriately and forcibly tried to kiss them.

Bhatia was among the big names that were called out in the Me Too movement in the Indian art world, besides leading artists like Jatin Das, Riyas Komu and most recently Subodh Gupta.

 

#MeToo: Gaurav Bhatia, MD of Sotheby's India, steps down following sexual harassment allegations

Following the complaints, Bhatia went on an indefinite leave.

IANS|

Jan 05, 2019, 12.39 PM IST

Following the complaints, Bhatia went on an indefinite leave from his position ahead of the auction house's inaugural sale in Mumbai.

NEW DELHI: Following sexual harassment allegations in November 2018 and an indefinite period of leave, Sotheby's Managing Director for India Gaurav Bhatia has stepped down from the post, an official statement said on Saturday.

Confirming the news, Bhatia in a statement said he has decided to move on from Sotheby's and wished the company luck for their future endeavours.

"After two enriching years and the stellar opportunity to launch Sotheby's inaugural auction in Mumbai, I have decided to move on. It has been a pleasure working with the great team we have built, and I will enjoy watching them continue to build Sotheby's future in India. I wish them the very best," he said.

2018: The Year When #MeToo Shook India

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2018: The Year Of #MeToo In India

27 Dec, 2018

2018 saw the rise of the #MeToo movement in India. Inspired by a global campaign against sexual harassment and assault, women across the spectrum opened up and shared their stories about abuse by men in positions of power. And it began in October with actress Tanushree Dutta accusing actor Nana Patekar of sexual harassment while shooting for the 2008 film 'Horn Ok Please'.

What followed was a series of posts by other women who shared their experiences with the world. From actors, film directors to advertising top guns, artists and writers and politicians, women professionals called out obnoxious behaviour at the workplace. From unwanted attention in the office to sexual innuendos on the film set, there were many kinds of allegations that surfaced.

As the year ends, we look back at all those who were accused of inappropriate behaviour and harassment.

(In Pic: From top left, Nana Patekar, Aditi Mittal, Subhash Ghai, Anirban Das Blah. From bottom left, Alok Nath, Sajid Khan, Jatin Das, Vikas Bahl)

Nana Patekar, Tanushree Dutta

27 Dec, 2018

Former actress Tanushree Dutta in September accused Nana Patekar of sexually harassing her during the shooting of their 2008 film 'Horn Ok Pleassss'. Dutta went on to say that she had brought up the complaint 10 years ago when the incident occurred, but no action was taken.The actress also said that she was supposed to do a solo number for the film, but Patekar decided to join in and perform intimate dance steps that made her uncomfortable.Patekar denied the allegations and sent a legal notice to the actress, who filed a police complaint against the actor and the film's choreographer Ganesh Acharya, producer Samee Siddiqui and director Rakesh Sarang. Meanwhile, Rakhi Sawant who had replaced Dutta in the song for the film, then accused her of taking drugs on the set. Dutta slapped a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against Sawant. (In Pic: On the left Nana Patekar, on the right is Tanushree Dutta)

Vinta Nanda, Alok Nath, Sandhya Mridul

27 Dec, 2018

Alok Nath, known for his popular on-screen portrayals, found himself in the midst of the #MeToo controversy after writer-director Vinta Nanda accused him of rape. Actress Sandhya Mridul also alleged that he had made sexual advances towards her during a shoot. Nanda had alleged that the actor had raped her 19 years ago. Nath, however, refuted the allegations and filed a civil defamation suit against Nanda. Nath's wife Ashu had also recorded her statement in court against Nanda and sought defamation against the writer-director. Mridul, while slamming Nath for causing agony, praised Tanushree Dutta and Vinta Nanda for their courage to come forward and urged others to not be ashamed and ‘keep this fire going.’ (In Pic: From the left, Vinta Nanda, Alok Nath and Sandhya Mridul)

Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane, Anurag Kashyap, Kangana Ranaut

27 Dec, 2018

On October 6, hours after Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Madhu Matena and Vikas Bahl announced the decision to dissolve their production house Phantom Films, director Bahl was accused of sexual harassment by a former employee. The victim who had worked on the production house's film 'Bombay Velvet' recalled her ordeal with Bahl in 2015. Soon after, Kashyap and Motwane went on record to say that they were informed about the allegations by the employee and detailed the backdoor deliberations that took place in order to punish their partner. Their statement led to Bahl filing a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against them. The 'Queen' director also demanded interim action from the court seeking to restrain Kashyap and Motwane from making statements against him to media or through social media. Now, while the woman has refused to take any legal action while saying that she stands by her claims, the former partners are fighting it out in court.(In Pic: Top left is Vikas Bahl, top right is Vikramaditya Motwane, bottom left is Anurag Kashyap, bottom right is Kangana Ranaut)

Sajid Khan, Saloni Chopra, Priyanka Bose, Mandana Karimi

27 Dec, 2018

Sajid Khan had to step down from 'Houseful 4' after multiple allegations of sexual impropriety surfaced against the Bollywood director. His close friend and aide in Bollywood, Akshay Kumar also chose to not support him and decided not to shoot if Khan was on-board. On October 11, an aspiring actress, Saloni Chopra had posted a detailed account of the harrowing time she had with Khan. A freelance journalist also claimed that Khan had exposed himself when she was interviewing him in the early 2000s. After the allegations, Khan stepped down from the upcoming comedy 'Housefull 4'. The movie, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and being distributed by Fox Star Studios, is the latest entry in a franchise that began in 2010. Khan has directed two of the previous three films. Priyanka Bose, who has acted in critically acclaimed films including 'Lion', 'Gulaab Gang', and 'Half Ticket' among others, opened up about the incident that allegedly took place when Khan had called her for an audition. She detailed the incident and shared that soon after when she narrated the incident to her partner, he asked him to quit right away. She has been quoted as saying, “He called me for an audition. The text from his assistant read, “Should be comfortable in a bikini.” When I landed up with the required clothing, no sides were given.” Mandana Karimi alleged that Khan made inappropriate remarks when she visited his office to discuss a role in his 2014 film 'Humshakals'. The actress said that Khan had asked her to remove her clothes, in order for her to get the part. (In Pic: Top left Sajid Khan, top right Saloni Chopra, bottom left Priyanka Bose, bottom right Mandana Karimi)

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Thanking and appreciating Bhatia, the auction house in a statement said: "Sotheby's Managing Director of India, Gaurav Bhatia, resigned on December 20, 2018, after two years with the company, during which time he launched the inaugural Mumbai auction. We appreciate and thank him for his service."

According to complaints posted on Instagram in November 2018, Bhatia touched the victims inappropriately and forcibly tried to kiss them.

Following the complaints, Bhatia went on an indefinite leave from his position ahead of the auction house's inaugural sale in Mumbai.

Sotheby’s India MD Gaurav Bhatia Steps Down After Accusations Of Sexual Misconduct

• IWB Post

•  January 5, 2019
 

   

Gaurav Bhatia, the MD of Sotheby’s India, has resigned nearly a month after he went on a ‘leave of absence’ following sexual harassment allegations.

Gaurav was the South Asia operations head and the driving force behind Boundless: India, Sotheby’s maiden auction in the country. According to anonymous allegations made by four people against Bhatia, posted on Instagram in November 2018, he touched the victims inappropriately and forcibly tried to kiss them. The allegations pertain to the time when he was employed with luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, and the other incident took place during his current position in Sotheby’s. The last post made on Instagram alleges physical assault inside a hotel room in the year 2014 after an event when Gaurav was the “top boss at a luxury firm” and the survivor was on the communications team.

According to TOI, the post from one of the male complainants read, “After the event.. he asked me to come to his room to close the remaining urgent things…I didn’t see anything coming as I thought he was being chivalrous and didn’t want o make the girls feel uncomfortable by having them in his room. So I being a boy, agreed to accompany him… He went on to physically assault me- during the whole time I said ‘no’ at various points. I was scared and shocked and disturbed for days. I’m now opening up and sharing this because others are speaking up.”

The account named ‘Scene and Herd’ has earlier also shared sexual harassment allegations against artist Jatin Das and Kochi Muziris Biennale co-founder Riyas Komu, and Gaurav was one amongst the many other big names that were called out in the #MeToo movement.

Following the allegations, after working for two years with the auction house, Gaurav has stepped down from his post as an MD on December 20, 2018. In an official statement, he said, “After two enriching years and the stellar opportunity to launch Sotheby’s inaugural auction in Mumbai, I have decided to move on. It has been a pleasure working with the great team we have built, and I will enjoy watching them continue to build Sotheby’s future in India. I wish them the very best.”

The auction house shared, “Sotheby’s Managing Director of India, Gaurav Bhatia, resigned on December 20, 2018, after two years with the company, during which time he launched the inaugural Mumbai auction. We appreciate and thank him for his service.”

H/T: NDTV

Following Sexual Harassment Allegations, Gaurav Bhatia Has Stepped Down as Managing Director of Sotheby's India

BY Annie Armstrong POSTED 01/04/19 3:04 PM

 3  10  0  48

Gaurav Bhatia.

VIA SOTHEBY’S

In November of last year, after being accused of sexual harassment, Gaurav Bhatia took an “indefinite leave” from his position as managing director of Sotheby’s India ahead of the auction house’s inaugural sale in Mumbai. Now ARTnews has learned that Bhatia permanently stepped down from his post on December 20. The auction house confirmed the news and said in a statement, “We appreciate and thank him for his service.”

An Instagram post by the account Scene and Herd, which is dedicated to revealing instances of sexual harassment in the Indian art world and which first announced the allegations against Bhatia, posted the news on Friday. The sources, which went unnamed by the account, accused him of forcibly kissing and inappropriately touching victims without consent. Bhatia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When Bhatia first took a leave from his position in November, Sotheby’s told the Mumbai Mirror, “In light of recent anonymous allegations that have surfaced Gaurav Bhatia has agreed to to take a leave of absence while a formal inquiry continues. Harassment of any type has no place at Sotheby’s and we will thoroughly investigate these allegations with Gaurav’s cooperation.”

Other notable figures to have been accused of sexual harassment by Scene and Herd include artist Subodh Gupta and Kochi-Muziris Biennale cofounder Riyas Komu. After the accusations were made public by the Instagram account, Gupta denied the allegations and stepped down as guest curator of the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa, India. Komu stepped down from his position at the biennial and apologized to the victims on social media.

Last week, 270 artists and arts professionals signed a statement about a sexual harassment in the South Asian art community. “We call on all our peers; artists; curators; gallerists; collectors; writers; and heads of both public and private institutions to commit to the safeguarding of survivor accounts,” that statement reads, in part.

“We’re actually speechless right now,” Scene and Herd wrote today on Instagram, adding that it was not finished calling out figures in the Indian art world. “We work tirelessly to do whatever we can to support survivors as and when they need us.”

Copyright 2019, Art Media ARTNEWS, llc. 110 Greene Street, 2nd Fl., New York, N.Y. 10012. All rights reserved.

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