Traditional, Modern & Contemporary Indian Art; Online Auction on 7th& 8th November 2019

The twentieth auction by Bid & Hammer is being lead by paintings from ManjitBawa, M.F Husain, J. Swaminathan, V.S Gaitonde, F. N Souza, N.S Bendre and also a rare painting attributed to Raja Ravi Varma.

1. Tanjore painting of Vithoba b. close up of St. Gonsalo Garcia (attributed to Ravi Varma) c. RekhaRao’s tribute to MeenaKumari

Alongside prominent works by these stalwarts of modern Indian art, on offer are rare Tanjore, Kalighat, Murshidabad& Bengal School paintings to compliment the works of important artists JogenChowdhury, Ram Kumar, G R Santosh, K KHebbar and the contemporaries like ThotaVaikuntam, PadmanabhBendre, RekhaRao, S G Vasudev, ShobhaBroota and G R Iranna amongst others. With a total of 55 lots on offer, the estimates begin from as low as Rs 4,000 going uptoRs

1. 5 crores and as always, the origin and provenance of the works standout with many of them coming as they are from the artists directly and acquired by notable collectors

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The selected highlights being a magnificent oil on canvas by the late ManjitBawa (1941 – 2008) depicting a ‘Lady with Parrot’ against an ochre background, painted in 1998, reminiscent of his trademark bright KalighatPatua style compositions. The work is estimated between Rs 90 lakhs

– 1.2 crores.

Lady with Parrot by ManjitBawa

Another important work is the from the socially active, first artist-in-residence at the RashtrapatiBhavan and RajyaSabha MP JogenChowdhury. Titled ‘Abu Ghraib’ and painted in his studio at Shantiniketan in 2005, the name evokes pain, suffering and torture, a distinctive feature of Jogen’s works as he himself suffered the horrors of partition. Drawing parallels between Chowdhury’s works and the oft used quote ‘art is meant to disturb the comforted and comfort the disturbed’, “the relevance of this work is evident in the context of the geo-politicalhappenings in the world in 2005 and demonstrates the strong social connection that JogenChowdhury’s drawings carry” says AnkushDadha, director, Bid & Hammer. He added

“Symbolically, we have two more works executed in 2005 and 2006 respectively, including a watercolour, depicting a theme that is the artists’s trademark.” Estimated between Rs 40–50lakhs, the sheer size of this pastel work on paper, measuring 30 x 85 inches, makes it striking.

JogenChowdhury’s Abu Ghraib

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Moving on to works by the contemporary artists, RekhaRao’s tribute to the legendary actress MeenaKumari is captivating. Commenting on the inspiration for this diptych from a sold-out exhibition, Rao said “the time when IPTA(Indian People’s Theatre Association)was active, Isometimes accompanied my father (renowned artist K KHebbar). It was in one such meeting that I met MeenaKumari the then reigning star of Indian cinema. She was a budding poet. I noticed a strange intense, alabaster, ephemeral quality on her face which was disquieting. That image remained etched in my memory which in a later canvas I translated”. This work isestimated at only Rs 3-5 lakhs and will be a collectors and film-afficionado’s delight.

Making their debut in an auction catalogue are artists GiridharGowd and Bharat Thakur. Hailing from Guntur District of Andhra Pradhesh, Gowd’s art speaks for itself. At the heart of his creative endeavour is his engagement with the country’s visual art tradition particularly the murals and miniature paintings. On the other hand, is Bharat Thakur – a poet, famous yoga exponent and for the large part of the last decade a prolific artist who works on a global platform and addresses a multicultural audience. The poem below is the reflection of his thought process in creating this large, colourful yet dark, acrylic on canvas work titled ‘Awash’ estimated at Rs 8 – 10 lakhs.

“The fire burnt so high and strong;

A prayer soared to the mighty skies;

Awash was the soul with showers;

Pouring blue with soothing powers”

                           Bharat Thakur’s ‘Awash’

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