32 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM {punchline} While some collectors are motivated by the prestige and social advantages that notable art acquisitions can afford them. Komal has always had a very specific focus—she wants to “shine a light” (a phrase she uses often) on women artists and artists of color. And just as she forged her way to success as an engineer at Oracle, Netscape and Yahoo, Komal is leading the charge for artists whom she feels are underappreciated or overlooked. It has, quite simply, become her mission in life. One might assume that Komal’s passion for championing women artists was born out of a childhood What is believed to be the last painting created by the famed Abstract Expressionist Joan Mitchell occupies almost an entire wall in the entryway of Komal Shah and husband Gaurav Garg’s hilltop home in Atherton. This canvas, a lively dance of swooping blue, magenta, yellow and crimson brushstrokes, usually serves as a starting point for any tour of their expansive art collection. “She was making these very expressive gestures,” Komal explains. “As she got older, she really came into her own.” The same can be said of Komal herself, a high-powered executive in the tech world who is now considered one of the most influential art collectors in the United States. ABOVE: Komal Shah; Untitled by Joan Mitchell. PREVIOUS PAGE: Ice 11 by Lorna Simpson from the Shah Garg Collection. PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF BERKELEY ART MUSEUM AND PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE
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