Zara Porter-Hill, Sotheby’s
International Head of
Department, South Indian Art, with (Front), Lot 75, “Untitled (Head),”
by
Ravinder Reddy, 2003, Resin and fiberglass, 44 by 24 by 42 inches;
(Rear), Lot
76, “Ok MILI,” by Subodh Gupta, 2005, Stainless steel tiffin boxes,
armature,
CD; dimensions as displayed
By
Michele Leight
With a pre-sale estimate
in the range of $6 million to $8.8 million, Sotheby’s will offer 112
Modern and
Contemporary artworks in its sale of South Asian Art during Asia Week
in New
York on September 16, which is lead by a magnificent painting by
Maqbool Fida
Husain “Cinq Sens,” with a great story attached to it. Contemporary
Artists
whose superb work will be offered in this sale include Subodh Gupta,
Ravinder
Reddy, Arpita Singh, Jitish Kailat, Thukral & Tagra, and Bharti
Kher, among
others.
Lot
20, “Cinq Sens,” by Maqbool Fida Husain, 1958, oil on
canvas, 60 inches square, formerly in the Collection of Roberto
Rossellini and
Sonali Dasgupta.
The Asia week series of
auctions at Sotheby’s New York
achieved $7,547,250 to bring the overall total for the week to
$27,649,251 well
within the $ 21.9/31.2 million estimate.Commenting on today’s South
Asian Art result Zara Porter Hill, International Head of Indian Art at
Sotheby’s said: “The vibrancy of the Indian art market returned to
Sotheby’s in
this sale. Paintings from the 18th century to the latest contemporary
art
achieved exceptional prices with a number of artist records being set.
The result
far exceeded the low estimate and was a validation of our strategy.
This
focuses on carefully curated and strategically estimated high quality
sales,
and these have produced this year’s consistently strong sell through
rates.
Competitive international bidding resulted in more than half the sold
lots
achieving prices in excess of the high estimate. The highlight of the
sale was
undoubtedly the group of works by Maqbool Fida Husain (b. 1915) which
was led by "Cinq Sens." which
sold for $782,500 exceeding the $500,00 to $700,000 estimate. The four
records set
in this auction come on top of the three achieved earlier in the year
to round off an
exceptional year for the department.” "Cinq Sens" is an oil
on canvas that is 60 inches square.
Lot
20, “Cinq Sens” was previously in the Collection of Roberto
Rossellini, the legendary Italian film director whose first wife was
Ingrid
Bergman, (parents of Isabella Rossellini), and at the center of the
intrigue
surrounding Rossellini’s second marriage to Sonali Dasgupta. Half his
age, she
was in the process of divorcing her husband at the time of their
romance, so it
was difficult for them to meet surrounded by gossip and suggestions of
scandal. Husain acted as a go-between and friend to the
lovers, until they finally
were able to marry. He was a frequent guest at the home of the
Rossellinis,
where he painted “Cinq Sens” in 1958, which he gave to them as a gift.
Maqbool
Fida Husain will be 95 years old on September 17, 2010, and he is still
painting. A record 16 works by the artist are offered in this sale.
The
central composition
in “Cinq Sens” is reminiscent of Pablo Picasso’s “Boy Leading a Horse”
(at the Museum
of Modern Art
in New York), but
the figures in the
background are a fusion of Indian temple friezes and Picasso’s
“Demoiselles d”Avignon,”
(also at MoMA).
It is a synthesis of East and West, complementing the cultural exchange
– and
friendship - between Husain, the artist, from India
and Roberto Rossellini, the film director, from Italy.
Lot
16, “Untitled,(Woman With Pitcher), 1960s, watercolor on paper, 24 by
16 1/2
inches, left; Lot 23, Untitled (Horse), by Husain, 1960s, oil on
canvas, 70 by 35 inches
Another
stunning
painting by Husain features a horse, a recurring subject, influenced by
his
childhood memories of them. Lot
23, “Untitled (Horse),” has an estimate of $120,000-180,000.
It sold for $158,500.
Lot 16 is a
untitled watercolor by Husain of a woman with a pitcher that was also
executed in the1960s. It has an estimate of $15,000 to
$20,000. It
sold for $37,500.
Lot 18, “Peeli Doop,” by
Maqbool Fida Husain, 1964, Oil on
canvas, 25 ½ by 35 ½ inches
Lot
18, “Peeli Doop,” by Husain (estimate $80,000-120,000/Itsold
for$158,500),
was painted in 1964,
after he began traveling throughout India
to learn more about its
different cultures. It has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $158,500.
Sotheby’s
catalogue notes that in his introductory essay to "M. F. Husain, Early
Masterpieces 1950s-70s, Asia House, London, 2006, Yashodhara Dalmia
wrote that that Husain “drew from the
classical, the miniature and folk, and attempted to meld it into a
language
which formulated the present. It allowed him to express a perceived
reality,
while being seamless, mythical and vast, was at the same time hurtling
towards
industrialization and modernization.”
Lot 21,”Untitled,” by Maqbool
Fida Husain,1960s, oil on
canvas, 37 ½ by 20 inches.
Lot 21 is an untitled oil on
canvas by Husain from the 1960s that measures 37 1/2 by 20 inches.
It has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It passed.
Lot
46, “That Obscure
Object of Desire,” by Maqbool Fida Husain, is
a diptych
inspired by the film by the same name by Luis Bunuel that depicts the
final
scene in which the lovers are killed by a bomb blast. It has an
estimate of $400,000 to $600,000 and sold for $482,500.
It is illustrated above
with the triptych of another Modern Master, Syed Hyder Raza, Lot
50, “Rajasthan,” a
blaze of color incorporating his signature “bindu”
and “lingham,”
signifying the
feminine and the masculine. It has an estimate of $300,000 to
$500,000. It
passed.
Lot 28, “Untitled,” by
Jagdish Swaminathan, (1928-1994),
1971, oil on canvas, 50 inches square
Lot 28 is an
untitled oil on canvas by Jagdish Swaminathan (1928-1994) that was
created in 1971 It is 50 inches square and has an estimate of
$120,000 to $180,000. It sold for $134,500.
Left: Lot 43, “Untitled
(Barbara),” by Francis Newton
Souza, 1971, oil on board, 21 ½ by 16 ½ inches; Right: Lot 32, “The
Prophet,” by
Francis Newton Souza, 1961, oil on canvas, 36 by 23 ¼ inches,
Lot 43 is
an untitled oil on board by Francis Newtown Souza. It
measures 21 1/2 by 16 1/2 inches and was executed in 1971. It
has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. It sold for $35,000.
Another Souza is Lot
32, "The Prophet," an oil an canvas that measures 36 by 23 1/4 inches.
It was excuted in 1961 and has an estimate of $100,000 to
$150,000. It sold for $158,500.
Other
Modern Masters
represented at this sale are Syed Haider Raza, Jagdish Swimanathan,
Akbar
Padamsee, (Lot 29, “Untitled Metascape,” estimate $300,000-400,000/Sold
for $458,500),
Tyeb Mehta,
Manjit Bawa, Francis Newton Souza, Ram Kumar and Sadequain from
Pakistan.In
June 2010, a painting from the 80s by Syed Haider Raza, “Saurashtra,”
made
history in London when it fetched $3,486,965, a world auction record
for the
artist, and a new world auction record for any Modern Indian workof
art.
Left:
Lot 46, “That Obscure Object of Desire,” by Maqbool
Fida Husain, 1980s, oil on canvas, Overall 67 ½ by 136 inches; Right: Lot 50, “Rajasthan,” by Syed
Haider Raza, 2004, overall
size 39 ½ by 78 ¾ inches
This motif appears once
again in dazzling Lot 52, “Bindu,” which
literally explodes with color. It was
painted in 1986 when Raza was teaching in California,
missing his home country, India.
It has an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $72,500.
A
very different painting executed in 1962 by Raza, Lot 51,
“Route De
Chomerac,” is almost Abstract Expressionist, perhaps influenced by his
visit to
America
that same year; but
as the title suggests, it was inspired by the countryside of France
that he
had recently left behind. Ultimately its specific properties have
dissolved,
and it becomes a universal “countryside.” Lot
51 has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.It sold for
$56,250.
Left: Lot 51, “Route De
Chomerac,” by Syed Haider Raza,
1962, Oil on canvas, 26 by 32 inches; Right: Lot 52, “Bindu,” by Syed
Haider
Raza, 1986, Oil on canvas, 19 ½ by 19 ½ inches
Left: Lot 84,
“Remains,” by Adeela Suleman; Center: Lot 33,
“Untitled,” by Francis Newton Souza; Right: Lot 64, “Munna Apa’s
Garden,” by
Arpita Singh
Above,
Francis Newton Souza’s “Untitled,” Lot 33,
is flanked by two contemporary art works in Sotheby’s galleries: on the
left is
Lot 84, “”Remains,” by Adeela Suleman,
center;
on the right is Lot 64, “Munna Apa’s Garden,” by Arpita Singh. Lot 33 has an estimate of $60,000
to $80,000. It sold for $68,500. Lot 84 has an
estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It passed.
Lot 64 has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It
sold for $506,500.
Left:
Lot 58, “Untitled,”
by Ram Kumar, 1997, Oil on canvas, 33
by 22 inches; right: Lot 30,
“Untitled (Pink Figure),” by Tyeb Mehta, 1962, Oil on board, 40 by 30
inches
Lot 58
has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $50,000.
Lot 30 has an estimate of $200,000 to
$300,000. It sold for $218,500.
In
a blue/green color palette, (not illustrated), is
Bhupen Khakar’s “Muslims Around a Mosque,” that was included in his
first European Retrospective at The Lowy Center in Manchester. It is
influenced by the photo-collage technique of David Hockney, and depicts
themes
from modern, urban India. It has an
estimate of $150,000 to $250,000. It sold for $650,000.
Born
in 1934, Khakar died in 2003. The artist said:
“My interest is something
which is part of my life,
the things that I see. Most artists don’t do (similar) subjects as they
are
taboo, and I think, let me do it.” (Sotheby’s catalogue: “India’s Sexual
Taboos,” BBC News World Edition, October 29, 2002)
Lot 3,
“Untitled,”
by Jamini Roy, (1887-1972), Tempera on woven paper, 15 by 25 inches
Jamini
Roy's distinctive,
traditional-yet-innovative style is becoming widely appreciated, which
is
manifesting in higher prices for his work. His paintings are considered
national treasures, and have not been allowed out of India
since 1972. Lot
3, “Untitled,” by Jamini Roy, depicts three goddesses, and is painted
on woven
paper. Enlarged, the “weave” becomes strangely contemporary, almost
like a
painting by Chuck Close. It has an estimate of $4,000 to $6,000. It
sold for $11,675.
Detail of Lot
3,”Untitled,” by Jamini Roy, painted on woven paper
South Asian Contemporary
Art gets more exciting each season; some lots pass because their
audience has
not yet formed, or because that one special collector was not present
at the
auction. It is not a reflection of the art. Van Gogh sold almost
nothing during
his lifetime.
Lot
59, “Untitled (Bandwalla),” by Krishen
Khanna, 1990s, Oil on canvas, 63 ¼ by 43 ½ inches. Estimate $50,000 to
$70,000. It
sold for $122,500.
Front: Lot 80, “Imposter,” by
Bharti Kher, 2004,
Fiberglass, skin, gold plated necklace, 24 by 41 by 26 inches; Rear:
Lot 79,
“Sat Samunder Par,” by Subodh Gupta, 2003, Oil on canvas, 44 by 90
inches
Lot
80, “Imposter,” by
Bharti Kher, who
set a new auction
record in London in June 2010 for an Indian female artist for “The Skin
Speaks
a Language Not It’s Own.” Lot 79, “Sat Samunder Par,” by Subodh Gupta
is a
personal favorite because I have witnessed countless passengers with
similar
luggage during my travels in India
since childhood – and the more garish examples of “baggage” in this
wonderful
painting are similar to my own when I was a young art student. In Lot 79, Gupta references
the global migration of Indians. Lot 80 has an estimate of
$120,000 to $180,000. It
passed. Lot 79 has an estimate of $250,000 to
$350,000. It
sold for $290,500.
Lot
76, “OK Mili (EDITION
2 of 2),” by Subodh Gupta, illustrated at the top of this story was
created in
2005, and is an imposing installation of stainless steel tiffin boxes.
It has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $266,500.
Of the stainless steel utensils that have become
signatures of his work, Subodh Gupta says:
“The
objects I pick already have their own significance. I put them together
to
create new meanings...All these things are part of the way I grew up.
The
(utensils) are used in the rituals and ceremonies that were part of my
childhood.”
Sotheby’s
catalog notes: “Born in the village of
Khagaul in the northern Indian state
of Bihar, Gupta’s early life was
shaped by a
humble, rural upbringing which revolved around the family hearth,
fueled by cow
dung and filled with squat stools and ubiquitous steel cookware – all
of which
feature strongly in his installation work. The pop kitsch elements of
Gupta’s
work are a nod to a culture of mass production, resonant of the
multimedia work
of pop artists Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg, and yet, singularly
Indian in
character...Used primarily for transporting hot lunches, tiffin boxes
(from the
archaic British slang tiffing, or snacking) are a colonial
hangover from
the days of the British Raj....”
Front: Lot 75, “Untitled
(Head),” by Ravinder Reddy, 2003,
Resin and fiberglass, 44 by 24 by 42 inches; Rear: Lot 29, “Metascape,”
by
Akbar Padamsee, 1977, Oil on canvas, 59 ½ by 59 ½ inches
Ravinder
Reddy’s marvellous super-sized Lot 75,
“Untitled (Head), illustrated, reminiscent of ancient fertility figures
and
goddesses look strangely out of place in our civilization. The
“headband”
attempts to modernize her, but it is an awkward accessory at best.
Reddy’s
female heads resist being totally beautiful, graceful or poised. In the
past
these “goddesses” would have slipped comfortably into the role of
maternal or
religious figures, or a national icon. Today, this stereotype is
confusing. Lot 75 has an estimate of
$100,000 to $200,000. It sold for $134,500.
On
display behind Reddy’s “head” in the gallery is Lot
29, “Metascape,” a beautiful painting by Akbar Padamsee. Sotheby’s
catalog notes:
“Padamsee was strongly influenced by the Swiss-German painter Paul
Klee, particularly
with regard to Klee’s mastery of color and tonality, his noted
surrealistic
treatment of space, as well as his metaphysical inclinations....”
It has an estimate of $300,000 to
$400,000. It
sold for $134,500.
Lot 77, “Metropolis 1
(Diptych),” by Thukral & Tagra,
2007, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 72 by 144 inches
Left to
Right: “Lot 78, “I
Like My Man Covered Too,” by Thukral & Tagra; Lot 82, “White
Sweat/Inherited Allergy,” by Jitish Kallat; Lot 70, “Muslims Around a
Mosque,”
by Bhupen Khakar; Lot 75, “Untitled (Head),” by Ravinder Reddy
Thukral
&Tagra are represented by two wonderful paintings, Lot 77,
“Metropolis 1
(Diptych),” estimated at $30,000 to $40,000 (It passed) and Lot 78, “I Like
My Man Covered Too,” (estimated at $20,000 to $30,000 (It sold for $35,000),
“...that was part of T & T’s first exhibition in New York that
addressed
the problem of HIV and AIDS in India. The title itself is a play on
words
imitating the slogans of contemporary advertising. The project
presented a
range of probable solutions for dissemination of information to the
vast
population of India.
Whilst in New York Thukral & Tagra worked alongside a group
already
developing HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns in India and suggested using some of
their products to promote awareness. The two products were a pair of
flip-flop sandals,
imprinted with diagrams of how to put a condom on, to distribute to the
poor
and illiterate, who are the most at risk of contracting the disease and
conversely a pair of designer underpants with a designer ‘Put it on’
waistband
to offer to the urban well to provide a comic way of broaching the
subject of
safe sex (Sotheby’s catalog): “They
conceived a series of works...around the act of condom use, bringing
humor to
the process of demystification. The centerpieces of the show were
large-scale
paintings that illustrated couples of all genders sleeping amid T
& T
signature devices (their logo print pattern turned into crumpled
bedsheets...”
(“Put it On,” Bose Pacia, 2007, p.29).
Lot 108, “Lotus Picchavai:
Krishna and Radha amongst
Lotuses,” India
Nathdwara, 19th Century, 85 7/8 by 96 ½ inches
Lot
108, (estimate $50,000 to $70,000/It sold for $37,500), “Lotus Picchavai:
Krishna and Radha amongs Lotuses,” is a gorgeous 19th Century wall
hanging, painted in a similar blue palette to Lot 64, “Munna Apa’s
Garden,”
(estimate $100,000 to $150,000/It sold for $506,500). It is a magnificent
contemporary work painted in 1989, illustrated with a Modern painting
by
Francis Newton Souza, (Lot 33) and a contemporary work by Aeela
Suleman, Lot 84, in this story.
Lot 103, “A Portrait of
Maharaja Jagat Singh Seated on an Elephant,” India,
Udaipur,
late-18th Century
Indian
Miniature
Paintings are lead by“
Lot 85 “An
Illustration to the Gita Govinda: Radha proceeds to her Tryst with Krishna,” (estimate $150,000 to
$250,000/It
sold for $290,500),
is a
stunningly beautiful miniature painting (not illustrated). Shown below
is a
Rousseau-esque wonderland, Lot
90, “An
Illustration to a Ragamala series: Gaudi Ragini,” painted circa
1780-1800.
Sotheby’s catalog notes: “Gaudi ragini, the wife of Megh Raga, is
pictured in a
lush forest setting surrounded by peacocks, in this colorful and
elegant
painting.” Lot 90
has an estimate of
$8,000 to $12,000.It
sold for $27,500.
Lot 90, “An Illustration to a
Ragamala series: Gaudi
Ragini,” India,
Bundi, 1790-1800, Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper
Elephants
are so much a
part of India,
it is somehow
appropriate to end this story with a gem, illustrated above, “Lot
103, “A Portrait of Maharaja Jagat Singh Seated on an Elephant,”
painted in the
late 18th Century. The subject matter is
self-explanatory, depicting
a lucky maharaja on a palanquin in a very sumptuous and regal
procession,
accompanied with many attendants on foot, and two noble Afghan hounds. Lot 103 has an estimate of
$10,000-15,000. It
sold for $27,500.
Use
the Search Box
below to quickly look up articles at this site on specific artists,
architects, authors, buildings and other subjects