The Whole Lot

While the the 34 x 60 inch Husain is estimated between Rs 1-1.5 crore, leading the auction is a V.S Gaitonde. Less than a year after the abstractionist created a record for modern Indian art (his abstract landscape fetched Rs 23.7 crore at a Christie’s auction), Dadha has put Gaitonde’s work at an estimate between Rs 1.8 and 3 crore. The 1980 oil signed in Devanagri has colours applied in patches of flat planes with a palette knife, characteristic of Gaitonde’s works from this period, as opposed to the treatment of previous years when he used
paint brushes.

Expected to fetch a total of Rs 18-25 crore, the auction comprises works from the 8th century to 20th century, sourced from estates of artists Nandalal Bose and Hemendranath Mazumder, collections of Radha Devi Goenka, Varsha & Dinesh Thacker and Sir Uday Chand Mahtab among others. “We have a magnificent 8th century stone stele of Gautam Buddha,” says Dadha, Chairman and Managing Director of Bid & Hammer.

One of the oldest works in the auction, this comes from the estate of the Maharaja of Burdwan and is estimated between Rs 50- 75 lakh. Also among the 86 lots are works of Jamini Roy, Sailoz Mookherjea, FN Souza, KH Ara and Rabindranath Tagore. The auctioneer has tried to play on topicality too. So with Varanasi in the spotlight during the recent national election, the city holds a special place in the auction. Placed alongside SH Raza’s 1947 Benaras estimated between Rs 12-15 lakh is Ram Kumar’s 1963 oil on canvas from the Varanasi series, estimated between Rs 45-75 lakh.

“The importance of this work in the trajectory of his career combined with the attention on the city of Varanasi in the recently concluded Indian elections, is the reason I picked this work,” says Dadha. While summer signifies a lull in the art circuit in India, Dadha feels the absentee and phone bid would eliminate that hurdle. The preview will be held on June 26 at The Imperial, followed by the auction on June 27