Works by Indian modernists to go under the hammer at Modern Art Sale
The oil on canvas painting, one of the most important pieces of art, is estimated at Rs 2.5 - 3.5 crore.
By PTI |
Agencies
NEW DELHI: Works by Indian modernists including Bhupen Khakhar, Akbar Padamsee, Manjit Bawa, S H Raza, F N Souza and Arpita Singh will go under the hammer at Saffronart's upcoming Modern Indian Art sale on December 5-6.
The online sale that features 86 works by significant Indian Modernists, will be led by Bhupen Khakhar's 1994 Untitled (The Bathing Ghat) work.
One of the most important works by the artist to enter the market in recent years, the oil on canvas painting is estimated at Rs 2.5 - 3.5 crore.
The artwork uses a dark blue palette offset by earth tones to portray people frolicking, bathing and sitting by a riverfront. The work, though typical of Khakhar's style during this period, is unusual in its composition, with a triangular canvas capping a rectangular one, creating a painting shaped like a roofed house.
Akbar Padamsee's 'Sans Titre' (1964) marks the artist's move away from figurative landscapes, before his Metascapes series, in a period where he focused on form, structure and colour.
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It is estimated at Rs 2.16 - 3.6 crore.
F N Souza's 'London East End' (1956), estimated at Rs 2 - 2.4 crore, was created during an important phase in the artist's career in post-war London.
Painted in the popular Cubist style of the 1950s, it is an excellent example of Souza's superior draughtsmanship, demonstrated by his powerful use of the line. "The modern art sale features notable works by Indian Modernists from the post-Independence period. The sale offers an opportunity for established collectors looking to expand their collections and for younger bidders who want to own a great piece of art," Dinesh Vazirani, Saffronart CEO and Co-Founder said.
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Other highlights include a vibrant untitled work from 1994 by Manjit Bawa, estimated at Rs 1.8 - 2.5 crore and Arpita Singh's 'Jars' (1997) estimated at Rs 90 lakhs - 1.2 crore.
The auction that will take place on saffronart.com, will be preceded by viewings of select lots in New Delhi, Mumbai and London.
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Scribbles, Scratches And Other Abstract Pieces Of Art That Made Millions
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Who says a scribble or a scratch is worthless? Check out these abstracts which sold for a fortune thanks to their minimalistic allure.
Who says a scribble or a scratch is worthless? Check out these abstracts which sold for a fortune thanks to their minimalistic allure.
Cost: $70.5 million
What seems like chalk scribbles on a slate is actually an oil-based house paint and crayon artwork on canvas by Edwin Parker ‘Cy’ Twombly Jr, which fetched a record price for the artist in Christie’s 2014 sale. Part of Twombly’s ‘blackboard’ paintings, the 1970 artwork is inspired by his stint in Pentagon as a cryptologist. What’s interesting is the way he produced this artwork. He sat on the shoulders of a friend, who kept on walking along the length of the canvas, enabling Twombly to create fluid lines. The painting’s then owner, Audrey Irmas, a philanthropist, parted with the painting to raise funds for her foundation for social justice. Interestingly, Irmas bought the painting for $3.85 million in 1990.
(Image: www.christies.com)
Cost: $70.5 million
What seems like chalk scribbles on a slate is actually an oil-based house paint and crayon artwork on canvas by Edwin Parker ‘Cy’ Twombly Jr, which fetched a record price for the..
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Cost: $1.65 million
Once part of the Robert and Jean Shoenberg collection, this 1961 artwork came into the market at Christie’s 2008 sale. Kelly was a camouflage artist during his stint in the army in the 1940s. He was a part of the unit known as ‘the Ghost army’ comprising artists and designers who painted objects that would misdirect enemy soldiers.
(Image: www.christies.com)
Cost: $1.65 million
Once part of the Robert and Jean Shoenberg collection, this 1961 artwork came into the market at Christie’s 2008 sale. Kelly was a camouflage artist during his stint in the army ..
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Cost: $86.88 million (including buyer’s premium)
The vibrant orange, red and yellow coloured rectangles was part of art collector David Pincus’s estate and was brought to the market by Christie’s in 2012 where its sale set the record for post war/ contemporary art at the time. Rothko’s 1961 work was in Pincus’s possession for four-and-a-half decades. The final bid was double the highest estimate of the artwork.
(Image: www.markrothko.org)
Cost: $86.88 million (including buyer’s premium)
The vibrant orange, red and yellow coloured rectangles was part of art collector David Pincus’s estate and was brought to the market by Christie’s i..
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Cost: $16.2 million
The 24 sharp vertical tears on a crimson, water-painted seven- foot wide canvas was contested for about a minute and 30 seconds during Sotheby’s 2015 auction. Yet, the painting was sold below the low presale estimate of $15 million. Turns out, Fontana was inspired to paint this artwork watching Red Desert, a 1964 movie created by Michelangelo Antonioni, which won the Golden Lion in that year’s Venice Film Festival. In fact, the inscription on the back of the painting, in Italian, reads, “I returned yesterday from Venice, I saw Antonioni’s film!!!”
(Image: www.sothebys.com)
Cost: $16.2 million
The 24 sharp vertical tears on a crimson, water-painted seven- foot wide canvas was contested for about a minute and 30 seconds during Sotheby’s 2015 auction. Yet, the painting ..
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Cost: $84.16 million
Newman’s 1961 stark black palette on a pale canvas was part of Christie’s post-war and contemporary evening sale auction in 2014. Newman started dabbling in abstract expression while he was mourning the death of his younger brother George. About the painter’s black fixation, art expert Thomas Hess recalled Newman saying, “When an artist wants to change, when he wants to invent, he goes to black as it is a way of clearing the table-of getting to new ideas.” The painting is in the possession of a private collector now. Its previous owner had the painting for nearly 40 years.
(Image: www.christies.com)
Cost: $84.16 million
Newman’s 1961 stark black palette on a pale canvas was part of Christie’s post-war and contemporary evening sale auction in 2014. Newman started dabbling in abstract expression..
