A Fashionable Life: Nadia Samdani
The charmed life of one of Asia’s biggest art collectors is as rich and bursting with creativity as the pieces she owns
Nadia and Rajeeb Samdani sit on the rooftop of their six storey mansion in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, as uniformed help move about noiselessly serving drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Seemingly oblivious to the seductive charm of their surroundings—a dreamy, midnight-blue swimming pool dotted with twinkling lights overlooks a mini art gallery and a rooftop bar—the pair get busy talking art, laughing, and entertaining a small poesy of guests. It’s Nadia’s hearty laughter and motherly instincts—making sure you’ve eaten enough and serving extra helpings of dessert—and Rajeeb’s constant doting over his beautiful wife that gives their humility away. So perhaps ‘oblivious’ would more aptly describe the way in which the parentsof-two and one of Asia’s biggest art collectors calmly take in their exquisite surroundings.
As you walk through the doors of their home, you can clearly see that the couple’s discerning eye has carefully curated not just the art that fills their home, but also everything that has gone past their doors—from their Vladmir Kagan and Zaha Hadid sofas, to their custom-made Roberto Cavalli dining table. Their house is mostly Nadia’s doing (with important inputs from Rajeeb, of course), where several designer pieces, like a Fendi kitchen (flown in from Italy), stunning décor pieces from Lalique, and a custom-made Schindler-Swarovski lift (the first time the two brands have ever collaborated) come together under one roof. It’s no surprise then that there is an
overwhelming feeling their home is actually built around astounding artworks.
Owning over 2,000 pieces of art, the Samdani household is literally bursting at the seams with world-renowned paintings, photography, and museum-worthy sculptures. On the ground floor, one is greeted by iconic British artist Joe Black’s Do You Get It Damian? and Julian Opie’s Paul
Running and Dino Crawling. Turn a corner and a Cindy Sherman portrait and a life-sized Rashid Rana collage hang majestically. And this is just the entrance. As one moves along the remaining five floors, mesmerising works by Picasso, Rembrandt, Rabindranath Tagore, Bharti Kher, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, Takashi Murakami, and a rich variety of Bangladeshi masters capture the eye. There isn’t an empty wall in sight, and the one that is devoid of any thing has been saved for video projections. “Our biggest challenge, aside from the fact that most of our lighting and furniture was being flown in from around the world, was accommodating our artworks. So the house was designed keeping that in mind, because each piece demands its own space and the lighting has to be perfect. And I think in the end, I just about managed it,” says Nadia.
The Samdanis’s love affair with art began at an early age. While Rajeeb collected on and off, Nadia grew up surrounded by it. Her father, one of the pioneers of the garment business in Bangladesh, is an avid art enthusiast, and collected Bangladeshi masters like Zainul Abedin and SM Sultan. “My childhood was spent between London and Dhaka, and both my homes were full of great masterpieces,” recalls Nadia. “I have never known to live without art in my life.” But that’s not what brought Rajeeb and Nadia together. While they met via mutual friends and family and fell in love, their appreciation for art and eagerness to foster local talent is what keeps them strongly bound. The Samdani Art Foundation represents local artists like Tayeba Begum Lipi, Ayesha Sultana, and Mohammad Wahiduzzaman to name a few, and aims to give contemporary Bangladeshi talent a platform to gain international recognition.
Their love for art is so deeply ingrained in their lives that it seems as if their world, much like their house, revolves around it. With homes in London, New York, and Bangkok filled with more art, their travels almost always involve an artistic sojourn—visiting Sotheby’s and Christie’s in London, or heading to Venice for the Biennale. They even liken entertaining to an art. “I enjoy parties,” says Nadia. “We entertain anything between 50-150 guests a month. So I always take great care to send out meaningful invitation cards, which usually have an image of one of the artworks we’ve collected. For example, if it’s a traditional party, my cards will have one of the masters’ artworks on it, and if it’s
a more glamorous affair, it would have the image of a more contemporary work.”
And with a lifestyle as socially demanding as theirs, it is no wonder that their wardrobe reflects the same worldliness—Nadia’s extensive walk-in closet features everything from Lanvin and Alexander McQueen, to Valentino and Tarun Tahiliani. About a 100 pairs of shoes are lined neatly on racks, of which almost half are vertiginous Louboutins. There is also a large collection of Judith Leiber clutches and limited-edition Birkins. Rajeeb’s corner, though somewhat smaller in comparison to Nadia’s but equalling in ferocity, has names like McQueen and Armani making an appearance.
Despite their lavish lifestyle, the couple never seem to dwell on the frills. Infact, during Bazaar’s visit, as Bangladesh crumbled under the worldwide controversy of the infamous garment building collapse, Rajeeb was already working on rehabilitating children orphaned from the incident. And while the two of them could choose to live in any other part of the world, it is clear from their conversations how much they love Bangladesh, and how focused they are on developing their artistic endeavours. “The journey of our foundation is not about the foundation itself, but rather about supporting and promoting our artists. In the next five years, I want to see at least 10 young, local artists get the international recognition they deserve. I want to see their artworks housed in important museums around the globe,” says Nadia. It is exactly this generosity and warmth that is most striking about the couple. And while their life is the stuff dreams are made of, the duo’s Louboutinshod feet are planted firmly on the ground.
“In the next five years, I want to see at least 10 young, local artists get the recognition they deserve.”