Kalol builder buys Anandi daughter Anar Patel’s painting for Rs 40,000

Around 50 city-based celebrities and renowned artists had come together to paint on a common theme of “strength of good versus evil” for the auction that witnessed the sale of only 50 per cent of artworks that went under the hammer.

“I didn’t know till I had bid for the work and won it that it was done by the CM’s daughter Anar Patel. Having developed a passion for art recently, I just liked the painting which is why I bought it at Rs 40,000. This is my fourth such art investment till date,” said Ahmedabad-based Talsania, who is one of the promoters of realty group Shree Riddhi Corporation. The base price of Patel’s painting was Rs 30,000.

Incidentally, the event had raked up a political brouhaha after this paper reported that the auction’s press briefing would see Anar share stage with Archana Verma, founder of an NGO called Swayam and the wife of IGP Satish Verma, and the proceeds from the auction would go to the latter’s NGO.

Verma pulled out of the show, leaving the organisers seek another charity organisation. Anar Patel, too, had claimed to have withdrawn her works from the show. However,  her name as a participating artist remained in the art show catalogue circulated to interested buyers and art patrons.

While the organisers did not disclose names of many winning bids at the auction at an automobile showroom on S G Highway, unsold paintings and sculptures included works of some well-known city-based artists like Haku Shah’s Mansha, Karl Antao’s Strength Of Truth, Deviba Wala’s Prying Eyes, Esther David’s Sea-Me and Ratilal Kansodaria’s Power For Protection, among others.

Vrindavan Solanki’s much-touted work, Desh pe Charcha, received the highest bid and was sold at Rs 3,10,000. Solanki says, “There is a lot of confusion regarding which artwork got the highest bid and I am yet to get any document about my artwork having been bought. Usually, at auctions, price is mentioned in the catalogue, but it was not so in this auction.”

Among other notable buyers were Art gallery owner Anil Relia, who picked up well-known painter Amit Ambalal’s Sadhu Aur Shaitan for Rs 1,40,000 and Talha Sareshwala, CEO and MD of Parsoli Motor Works Pvt Ltd — the associate sponsor for the event  — who bought restaurateur Abhay Mangaldas Existential Duality and IT entrepreneur Ruzan Khambatta’s My Guardian Angel.

“This art auction has evoked a much better response as compared to the one held many years back when there was hardly any buyers for artwork,” said Relia.

Waghbakri Group CMD and philanthropist Piyush Desai bought seven paintings for around Rs 6 lakh, including leading gynaecologist Neeta Thakre’s Maa, the Strength of Every Child, Hindol Brahmbhatt’s untitled work, Manhar Kapadia’s Chakra, Rakesh Patel’s My Choice Will Be My Way, Havmor Ice Cream CMD Pradeep and wife Rekha Chona’s Bonding and Bhavin Vaishnav’s 100 per cent Risk.