Modern Indian Paintings at Sotheby's |
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| Monday, 20 February 2006 22:13 |
 New York- On March 29, 2006, Sotheby’s will offer a stunning array of modern Indian art, including two of the most important modern Indian paintings ever to be offered at auction, in its spring sale of Indian and Southeast Asian Art. Tapovan by S. H. Raza (pictured above) and Falling Figure with Bird by Tyeb Mehta (pictured on page 2) are part of an exceptional group of works by modern Indian artists, including F.N. Souza, M.F. Husain, Akbar Padamsee and J. Swamintathan. Over 200 lots will be included in the sale, which will also feature an impressive assortment of Indian miniature paintings and stone and bronze sculptures from across Southeast Asia. The sale is expected to bring $8/11 million. S.H. Raza’s Tapovan, or Forest of Meditation (est. $800,000/1 million), represents a visual expression of his own meditation on the mystical power of nature. Raza spent his childhood in the forests of Central India, and the potency of colors and symbols in nature were central to his visual vocabulary. His work in the 1960s was strongly influenced by the Abstract Expressionist movement. The unstructured compositions of Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock inspired Raza to experiment with color and space in new ways, and the current work, painted in 1972, represents the culmination of this period.
 Tyeb Mehta’s 1988 work, Falling Figure with Bird (est. $800,000/1 million) contrasts a simple color-block background of blue and brown with the contorted outlines of a plunging figure and bird that suggests comparison to the anguished forms in Picasso’s Guernica. Tyeb, like many artists of his generation, was witness to the tragedy and violence that accompanied India’s Partition and his memories of this period had an immense impact on him and his art. Tyeb has been described as an ‘arch modernist’ who has reinterpreted the Modernist method in a wholly Indian context. Other highlights from the Modern section include a 1960’s canvas by F. N. Souza, titled The Pope and his Nephews (est. $200/300,000) based on the famous portrait by Titian of Pope Paul III and his grandsons, a large Untitled abstract work by J. Swaminathan (est. $300/400,000) and an exceptional early Cityscape from 1959 by Akbar Padamsee (est. $500/700,000). The sale also features more contemporary works by younger artists such as Atul Dodiya, Jitish Kallat, Surendran Nair, Anju Dodiya and Jagannath Panda, who have recently gained stature in the international market. Rounding out the sale is a group of fine Indian miniatures originally from the Royal Collection of the court of Mandi. These include rare early paintings of Ragamalas from the Bilaspur School dating from 1700 – 1720 (est. $25/$35,000). The paintings are remarkable for their combination of the exuberant line and color of the Punjab Hills ateliers with the refined aesthetic of the Mughal and Deccani painting. Also included are delicately rendered love scenes from the Sundar Shringar series from circa 1780 (est. $10/15,000) and groups of charming Indo-European style works belonging to the early nineteenth century Company School of painting. Offerings in the antiquities section include an impressive circa 2nd/3rd Century Gandharan sculpture of the Goddess Hariti (est. $120/150,000) executed in a formal, hieratic style that is strongly related to Hellenistic sculpture from the region of Parthia. The selection of works from Southeast Asia features a large 13th Century Khmer head of a deity from the Bayon period (est. $30,000/50,000), belonging to the Brooklyn Museum that is being sold to benefit the Museum’s Acquisitions Fund. The face bears a serene and deeply introspective expression which was the hallmark of the Bayon style. A highlight among Indian stones is an elegant and pleasing circa 12th Century marble sculpture of the elephant-headed deity Ganesha from Western India (est. $50,000/70,000).Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
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