CHRISTIE’S LONDON is going to offer a 1931 self-portrait by Amrita Sher-Gil, recognised today as the pioneer of Indian modernism, on June 10. The painting, depicting one of India’s most important modern artists at the age of 18 years, is the first by Sher-Gil ever to be offered in London and one of the only eight canvases to be offered at an auction globally.
Works by the artist are defined as ‘national art treasures’ by the Indian government and deemed of such national importance to Indian culture that they are non-exportable if sourced in India, and when sold in India, must remain in the country. Therefore, it is very rare that important paintings by Sher-Gil are offered outside of India. This self-portrait will be offered in the annual ‘South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art Sale’ at Christie’s with a pre-sale estimate of £1.0-1.8 million.
This self-portrait from 1931 is one of Sher-Gil’s undiscovered paintings, never before seen or exhibited publicly. It has remained in France from the time it was painted, and is making its maiden voyage across the Atlantic this summer, first to New York, where it will be on view at Christie’s, and then to London for its sale preview and auction.
In 1931, Sher-Gil was briefly engaged to Yusuf Ali Khan, while rumour had it that she was also having an affair with her first cousin Victor Egan. Sher-Gil painted portraits of these two men in 1931, both gazing introspectively into the distance, contemplating perhaps their own fate in the hands of this femme fatale. Sher-Gil’s own portrait was also painted in the same year. Together, these paintings form a triangle between three lovers, placing them in conversation—each avoiding the gaze of the viewer, withholding a secret only the three seem to be privy to. This self-portrait is the only one known in profile, among the artist’s 19 previously documented self-portraits.
Here, the artist is in complete profile and avoiding any direct interaction with the viewer. However, the composition diagonally cuts through the canvas with the torso almost leaping out of the canvas on to the viewer. The golden bowl sitting empty between her and the viewer reflects the emotional emptiness that she may have experienced as an 18-year-old, torn between the various loves of her life.
Sher-Gil was a pioneer in the history of modern Indian art, and in the 28 years of her brief life was a revolution personified. Born in Budapest in 1913 to a Hungarian mother and Indian father, Sher-Gil was a tour de force in the landscape of Modernism in British India. Living between India, Hungary and France, Sher-Gil painted the lives of people and her surroundings with an intensity that remains unparalleled in modern Indian art. Her talent for the arts was discovered very early on, and in 1929, at the age of 16 years, she moved to Paris to study with Lucien Simon at the prestigious École Nationale des Beaux-Arts.
The bohemian lifestyle in Paris invigorated Sher-Gil’s desire to paint, which she did with conviction and maturity rarely seen in a 16-year-old. The power of her portraits won her election as an associate of the Grand Salon, a rare honour at the time for a young, foreign artist in Paris. Her self-portraits are painted with an intensity that is almost hypnotic, drawing the viewer into the innermost psyche of the artist, where one discovers a sea of melancholy.
