Tina Ambani pays record $2.5m at Christie’s Indian art auction

Anil Ambani hasn’t been seen in public much since his Mumbai-based Reliance Communications started negotiating to merge with MTN, the South African telecoms company last month. However, both he and Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, his group managing director and close adviser, have put in brief appearances at Christie’s art auction rooms in London during the past few days, where Tina Ambani, Anil’s wife, has been exhibiting.

Wednesday a selection of paintings collected by Tina Ambani’s Harmony Art Foundation formed part of a Christie’s auction of modern and contemporary South Asian art that netted $10.6 million (including auctioneer’s premium).

Harmony stole the show by paying a record $2.5 million for a work by F.N.Souza – 56% higher than the previous record price for any modern Indian work- in addition to selling six paintings.

A film star before her marriage, Tin Ambani is modest about her background in Indian art, even though her annual Harmony shows in Mumbai of younger as well as established artists have become well known over the past 12 years. “I am not academically well-versed in art but I go with instinct,” she told me.

Proceeds from the works Harmony sold yesterday will go to help young artists. The objective of the Harmony foundation and its exhibitions, says Ambani, is to “provide centre stage for emerging artists.” Two projects include reviving old Warli tribal art in the Indian state of Maharashtra and fine Pichwai paintings in Rajasthan.

Souza, who died in 2002, was one of India’s greatest modern artists, along with others that include M.F.Husain and Tyeb Mehta. The work bought by Ambani’s Harmony is a monumental (8ft by 4ft) painting called “Birth” that embraces many of Souza’s main themes of extravagant female nudes, gaunt male faces, still life, religion and townscapes. Christie’s put an estimate of $1.2-$1.6 million on the work, but Yamini Mehta, a specialist in Indian art at the auction house, refused to guess in advance what it might go for. “Putting a value on it is rather like trying to value the Mona Lisa” she said.

The buyer is listed by Christie’s as “anonymous”, but at the auction yesterday I saw Preeti Ambani, a cousin of Anil Ambani and president of the Harmony Art Foundation, make the successful bid.

Two other records were also set at the auction. A Tyeb Mehta painting, part of a dramatic series he has done to mark the miseries of rickshaw pullers, went for $1.9 million, beating his previous record price of nearly $1.6 million paid in a New York auction in 2005. India’s leading contemporary artist, Subodh Gupta, hit a personal record of $1.2 million for a large installation of stainless steel kitchen pots and pans. Last month, his painting of a man pulling an airport luggage trolley was auctioned by Christie’s for almost $1.2 million in Hong Kong, which set a new record for India’s younger contemporary artists.

M.F.Husain, now aged 92 and the doyen of the Indian “progressive” painting group that started in the 1950s, also hit a record price recently for a monumental work, “Battle of Ganga and Jamuna.” This was sold for $1.6 million in New York in March, beating Mehta’s 2005 figure and holding the India world record till yesterday.

These sales underline claims by Christie’s and other auction houses that Asian art is bucking the current economic gloom and recovering after some leveling off in prices last year. ArtTactic, which surveys the art market, said last month that, after a 38% drop in auction volume last year, the modern Indian art market was regaining some of the confidence it had lost.

Several other Husain and Souza paintings however did not do well in yesterday’s auction, along with those of another prominent “progressive”, Syed Haidar Raza. More than 15 of their works failed to meet reserve prices and were not sold, though Hugo Weihe, Christie’s international director for Asian art, says there is already interest in a key Raza work, “La Terre”, to be auctioned in London on June 30 for about $2 million.

This shows that it is younger contemporary artists like Subodh Gupta, Atul Dodiya, T.V.Santosh, and Rameshwar Broota who are grabbing the attention of buyers at international auctions. Only the best works of the older modern artists are doing well, as buyers become more discerning.

Modern Indian art started to hit high prices about four or five years ago, driven by sales to overseas Indians (NRIs) who wanted to display their wealth and origins on the walls of their smart pads, usually in the U.S.A. There was little concern for quality. ”Every new collector wanted an Husain,” says Weihe.

It is no longer the NRIs who are driving the prices – even though yesterday’s Tyeb Mehta went to someone of Indian origin living in the U.S. Collectors of other nationalities are now moving in, along with art funds and museums, attracted partly by prices that are far below the $9 million achieved by leading Chinese works. India’s growing visibility internationally in business and other areas is also helping to focus attention.

Buyers are coming from China and elsewhere in East Asia, as well as from Dubai, where Arab collectors are looking for new cultures, and Europe. In Britain, interest is growing. Charles Saatchi, famous for his advertising agency and as an art collector, is launching a new London (Chelsea) gallery this summer with an Indian contemporary exhibition titled “The Empire Strikes Back.” A large Manchester gallery is showing “A Passage to India”, and extravagant prices are being demanded by smaller galleries.

Trust helps local artists gain a footing in UK by Ashoke Nag

Source: Economic Times

KOLKATA: The Charles Wallace India Trust has extended its support to artists in the early or middle stage of their career. It was formed in 1981 in memory of Charles Wallace, co-founder of the Shaw Wallace company. Till date, the trust has handed out around 2,500 grants. In fact, commercial galleries often place a fair deal of importance on such overseas scholarships while picking artists for their shows.

“For close to three decades, the Charles Wallace India Trust has thrown open the window for Indians working in the arts, heritage conservation and the humanities to work in a focused manner in the UK. The Trust is run by four trustees and a secretary. The British Council India has also been actively advising the trustees,” an art market source told ET.

Interestingly, Charles Wallace lived and worked in Kolkata. Although, he was one of the founders of Shaw Wallace, there is no connection between the trust and the company. While Wallace grants have been given out to individuals across India, the proactive role of the British Council in Bengal and the East has found several artists in this region winning these grants.

The trust awards four types of grants. While certain assignments in the arts and heritage conservation and visiting fellowships stretching over 2-3 months are fully funded, grants for short research or professional visits do not cover the full costs. The trust also awards grants for the penultimate or final year of doctoral study.

Some of the artists who have won the Charles Wallace grant are Delhi’s GR Iranna, Sunil Gawde of Mumbai, Ravi Kumar Kashi and A Balasubramaniam of Bangalore and Kolkata’s Eleena Banik, Samit Dey and Paula Sengupta.

“The awards help an artist to get a view of international art through the residency programmes. The benefit is that artists, are exposed to this experience at a very crucial stage of development in their career. Besides, the fellowships make way for interaction between Indian and overseas artists. As the artists establish their identity and style over time, the Charles Wallace awards, together with other accomplishments, are a true value addition,” the source said.

In fact, many of the young artists, including GR Iranna and Eleena Banik are making a mark abroad, while names like Samit Dey, Sunil Gawde, Mithu Sen and Paula Sengupta have had overseas shows. “My whole trip to Europe was very exciting. Charles Wallace took me to the Glasgow School of Art. I gathered so much experience and knowledge. I was introduced to the global art scenario. I was overwhelmed to see great art works from pre-historic till modern to post-modern and contemporary. I never looked back after that,” said Eleena Banik.

Fight for art’s sake by MEENAKSHI THIRUCODE
Source: The Hindu

The sea changes happening in the art scenario have never been much spoken about. How far apart are ideals from the actual causes?

Buyers might end up having works that have absolutely no value.

There exists an inherent conflict when one tries to reconcile the academic and the business aspects of art, particularly in the case of contemporary Indian Art.

One very obvious development in today’s art scene is the aspect of marketing, something that I have brought up earlier. It is a very crucial aspect of Indian Contemporary art and there are moments that I have felt totally averse to the idea of s omething that is considered to be a powerfully effectual tool for commodities that range from toothpastes to designer clothes, seeping into the very fibres of Fine Art. This is owing to the fact that it is a field, which to me, is still strongly rooted in subjective and academic criticism in order for it to remain a vibrant platform within which an individual or collective artistic expression is conceived, developed, debated and ideologies ascertained.

Of course, it’s not as if dealers, collectors and artists themselves have not used such tools in the past to gain a public audience.

At the turn of the 19th Century, public perception associated financial success with the aesthetic quality of the works, a scenario that is being played out in urban India today.

Also there were artists at that point in history, particularly Picasso who was known for his shrewd business acumen apart from being a master genius. Unfortunately, things are happening at a rather fast pace, especially in terms of demand that certain galleries and dealers expect artists to mass produce their works. While this occurs within Contemporary Art in the West, there have been many learning curves through which the world could differentiate between great, good, mediocre and bad works. None of the contemporary artists in India is being given the time to grow and eventually establish their artistic practice because of vested interests both in the West and within our own country.

Therefore, while some Western artists have fallen because of speculation and overpricing owing to market driven hype, a point in case being Julian Schnabel, strong historical development over years and years of Western Art saw to it that the entire market didn’t crash and vanish.

Therefore, while a certain degree of promotion and publicity have to be developed to support an artist, it is being used a tad too aggressively at a very delicate and fragile stage in the country’s current art scenario.
Contemporary concept

There exists a strong historical backbone that supports Classical Indian Art unlike Contemporary Art. With the latter the attention came by way of money, the only means by which new buyers and more importantly the mass audience are being initiated into the concept of the contemporary.

While some of the influential players within the dynamic, young contemporary art scene propose to do something about it, often suggesting the path to be taken, time and again it comes across as being shallow. This is because of the example they set with their own practice.

Let me recount something that took place recently at The Asia Society in New York during The Asian Art Week — a smart and obvious marketing tool, one could say, whereby we have a week that will be a one-stop-shop for collectors, investors and the occasional art aficionado to permeate their being and satiate their need (be it financial or passion) for art that is ‘All-Asian’! The tag did not perturb me as much as the lack of straightforward dedication to the cause of Indian art the so called “experts” brought to the forefront in the discussion. The dialogue was meant to shed light on the future of Indian Contemporary Art.

The panel included, Dr. Arani Bose, businessman, director and gallery-owner of Bose Pacia Gallery, New York, Melisa Chiu, museum director of Asia Society, Artist Atul Dodiya and Dr. Hugo Weihe, head of Indian and South-East Asian Art, Christies, NY. There were some valid points that were being made by the panelists, but as expected they seemed to offer nothing more than words. There isn’t much one could expect from these individuals who are for most part more attuned to the business side of art rather than the aesthetic, except, to a certain extent, Atul Dodiya. This, like one other panel discussion on Indian Art that I’ve been to, fell short of my expectations.

Let me explain why I find myself exasperated. For most part they desperately try to project a genuine need to support the growth of Indian art and artists from an academic and art historic point of view. Dr. Arani Bose brought out some valid issues faced in terms of contextualization and how categorizing in terms of cultural background is considered to be, in his words “Ghettoization” when it comes to Asian art.

However, different rules apply to Western art, where, say a German artist is considered International as opposed to just being German. He brought out how there was a lack of support for developing institutions and infrastructural support that produced critics, theorists, academics and, of course, artists that would sustain a steady growth. Wise words until Dr. Bose suggested the solution. He strongly felt that getting some of India’s new billionaires to invest in setting up the much needed foundation for sustained development would be a good start.

However, he failed to mention that his own gallery is guilty on many occasions of putting financial gain ahead of any other aspiration. How else can one explain their handling of an artist pair the gallery represents — Tukral and Tagra? The duo had their solo show in the New York gallery, which opened in April 2007. Within a year of their show the artist’s works were up at three auctions.

Provenance for these works only included exhibition history. Provenance is the history behind a work of art that is extremely intrinsic to the process of quantifying the monetary value of a work of art.

For example, German artist Gustav Klimt’s 1907 portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer boasted of a provenance that included its unique history involving a battle between the Austrian government and a family heir of Ms. Bauer. The niece claimed that the work, along with five others, was seized by the Nazi’s during World War II. This aspect of the painting’s history made it an extremely valuable piece in terms of art history thereby playing a major role when it came to pricing the estimates and ultimately shaping the outcome of the final bid — a world record of $135 million dollars.

The work is now part of the Neue Galerie in New York which focuses on Austrian and German Art. Every work need not have such an illustrious past but the point to be noted here is the value of art history. Of course, one can argue that contemporary art is created in the present and a number of Western contemporaries sell for exorbitant prices. However, one needs to understand that Western art has a longer “history” on its side, and for young India, contemporary history goes back to only a mere 60 years to the late 1940’s when the Modern Art movement took shape through The Progressives.

It reiterates how young the Art scene is in the subcontinent which is not a terrible situation to be in.

However, with the pressure to make quick profits comes the danger of expediting the production of art works as if it were coming out of factories for mass consumption. How could Dr. Bose encourage putting up Thakral and Tugral’s works for auction if his intentions are to support his artist’s growth? It also makes one question if the artists themselves are conscious of what they are getting themselves into.
What with value?

Does it not occur to them that if their prices rise when they are beginning to establish themselves, only because it’s financially prudent, what happens when the fiscal aspect dies? Buyers might end up having works that have absolutely no value since they do not stand at a strong position art historically — which I reiterate is the single most powerful aspect that determines the value of a work of art. And this will affect the careers of these young artists who otherwise might have potential but were misguided in terms of how they could develop their practice.

That is not what Indian Contemporary Art needs. And galleries such as Bose Pacia to an extent might be guilty of doing so by encouraging this terrible pattern of putting up their artists for auction when they have barely exhibited for more than a couple of years.

Mind you, the likes of Dr. Bose and Dr. Weihe are well aware of the fact that majority of the players within the Indian Contemporary Art scene is in it for the money. What irks me is their assumption that all of the audience is blissfully ignorant of this fact.

Apart from uninspiring didactic statements, there were quite a few glaring contradictions in the discussion. One of them revolved around art critics in India. For some reason the only name the panelists could suggest both during the discussion and when an audience member posed a question, was Geeta Kapur. I have deep respect for Ms. Kapur, who is a pioneer of art critical writing in India but the fact that they did not mention any younger writers who are up and coming showed their lack of interest in even acknowledging their existence. It is all well to say we need to encourage the new but if the “experts” themselves can’t go beyond one name it’s beyond absurd.

Dr. Weihe who is a knowledgeable and sincere person fell short of my expectations. There was hardly anything insightful he offered. Dodiya’s experiences as an artist, and how it amused him to see the attention he got from his neighbours, who didn’t know or care for art before the entire buzz, was a good way of explaining the manner in which some sections of Indian society view art today. One attends panel discussions such as this with a hope of hearing people within the industry who have the power and influence to shape the future of Indian Art offer some concrete, genuine, truthful insights.

The problem is that everything isn’t defined in terms of “Black and White”. Unfortunately, some of these players do not care to admit that and continue to be strongly business minded in their practice, whatever the consequence may be. Nevertheless they project themselves as championing the cause of critical and historical support, when their actions speak otherwise.

Valuing art: The role of provenance and auction by D. Murali and Kumar Shankar Roy

Source: The Hindu

Chennai: The French verb provenir means to come from/stem from, referring to the source. Art is perhaps one of the very few asset classes, where valuations depend so much on its source. This explains why ‘provenance’ (pronounced as ‘prov-uh-nuhns’) attains overriding logic. Comparative techniques, expert opinions, written and verbal records and the data from scientific tests are time and again used to help ascertain ‘provenance’ of a work of art. Like accounting, it’s all in the detail.
Sellers would want to discover the ‘real’ worth of a Ravi Varma work based on history, while buyers would look for future promise. Ask Mr M Maher Dadha, Chairman and Managing Director of homegrown fine art auction house Bid & Hammer. “Valuations are arrived at through a process based on evaluation of the different phases of the artist in the past, places of exhibition, price realisations in the past, and the present phase of the artist with regards to the work,” he replies, swirling a glass of wine, as we walk around the Taj Ballroom, Chennai on June 2. Beside us is an ‘oil on canvas’ titled ‘Female nude under shadow of leaf’ by Antonio Xavier Trindade (1870-1935), the most expensive painting among the collection going under the hammer on June 15.

Art value could be driven by aesthetics, but the domestic art market, which is worth Rs 1,000 crore, like any other financial market is not impassive to demand, supply, expert opinion and moods. This is why the role of an auction is vital for ‘value’ discovery. “As such there is no fixed valuation model and the purpose of an auction is to let the public determine the prices they feel the art work is worth – hence, when a work sells through an auction both the buyer and the seller are happy,” Mr Dadha tells Business Line in an exclusive interview done over email. Read on, if art is where heart is…

Excerpts.

Why should one buy ‘art’ as an investment?

In today’s economic scenario, investing in art is not only about investing in aesthetics but investing in a genuine asset class. Historically, art markets have shown lower volatility and co-relation with other asset classes. Art is now considered a reliable option for portfolio diversification.

How big is the art market, globally and in India? Is it growing?

The Indian art market, I believe, is worth more than Rs 1,000 crore. Globally, I have been told it is in excess of $40 billion (Rs 1,60,000 crore). Taking 2003 as the benchmark year from when Indian art prices started escalating, the market has been growing at an average rate of between 20-30 per cent an year.

What’s been Bid and Hammer’s experience with art auction?

Bid & Hammer was established in November 2006. We had our first auction in January this year, wherein we had a total offering of approximately Rs 10 crore (lower estimate). Of that we sold works to the tune of Rs 3.46 crores and 46 per cent in terms of the lots on offer. However, we would have done much better had it not been for the fact that our opening preview coincided with the stock market crash in excess of 2,000 points, on January 21, 2008. Nonetheless, we expect to conduct 3 more auctions this year with the total size of offerings pegged at Rs 30 crore. We hope to increase the number of auctions and the size of the offerings from mid-2009.

Are there valuation models to ascertain art?

Valuations are arrived at through a process based on evaluation of the different phases of the artist in the past, places where he or she has exhibited, price realisations in the past and the present phase of the artist with regards to his or her work coupled with the demand, supply, expert opinion and mood of the market in general.

As such there is no fixed valuation model and the purpose of an auction is to let the public determine the prices they feel the art work is worth – hence, when a work sells through an auction both the buyer and the seller are happy.

Is marketing a problem?

Yes. Like in any other business marketing efforts are important more so when you have just started the business.

What are the common myths about art as an avenue for investment?

Today people think of art as a very lucrative sector. Naturally, new entrants (includes buyers, sellers as well as the ‘artists’) to the art scene have very unrealistic expectations. I am talking about valuations and price realisations here.

Unfortunately, this is justified to some extent due to the speculative tendency prevalent in today’s Indian art market. But any person who wishes to be in the market for the longer term will realise that the art business is like any other business. It requires perseverance and commitment.

Considering that art is creative, are there metrics that help one decide what to invest in?

There is no specific metric and as such the demand and supply determines what sells and what does not. Art is subjective but one can distinguish between good and not so good quality art, but again buying preferences are also based on one’s personal liking and budget, irrespective of the quality of the work or the name of the artist.

We have heard about the menace of fakes in the space. How far is this true?

If an artist has made a name for himself or herself and works are hard to come by or are rare and command prices that are beyond the reach of but a few super rich collectors, it undoubtedly gives rise to production of fakes. However, as an auction house our main job is to try and ensure that no fakes go under our hammer.

Is there a competition between imported art and Indian art, in India?

As buyers the world over, including India, are increasingly becoming discerning and buy art based on one’s social sensibilities, preferences and budgetary constraints, competition is not a matter of concern.

On the converse, how well is our art accepted in other countries?

Westerner’s have had a long standing fascination for Indian art and antiquities and now they are also taking note of modern and contemporary Indian art which is slowly but surely gaining in worldwide appeal.

Where is growth coming from in this market?

As for the growth I think the Eastern markets like Japan, Korea, China etc. will be instrumental components of demand in the foreseeable future.

Are our laws and taxes constricting in nature, with regard to art?

To an extent, yes. The Archaeological Survey of India needs to become more accessible and empathic towards the sentiments and requirements of the art community that is trying to put Indian art on the world map.

Is there a way to bring back Indian antiquities that are housed in museums around the world?

It would indeed be great for the country if this can happen on a big scale. The Government will have a major role to play.

Lastly, a thing that you like to see in art education in the country would be…

Education in art management is one area where Indian institutes need to buck up so as to support the growing demand for professional ‘art business’ managers. Art education in India specifically in terms of understanding and appreciating art is strong but we have to catch up in art management.

The 39th Edition of Art Basel Closes With Outstanding Results
Source: ArtDaily

Gagosian Gallery, New York.

BASEL.-The 39th edition of Art Basel closed its doors on Sunday, June 8. The international reunion of the international art world attracted 60,000 artists, collectors, curators, and art lovers from around the globe. The participating galleries, Show Management, art connoisseurs, and the media were unanimous in pronouncing this a very good year for the illustrious show. Art 39 Basel demonstrated the robust health of the international art market, while confirming and enhancing its own unchallenged position as the world’s premier art fair and doing full justice to its reputation as an internationally acclaimed artworld event. The show drew 60,000 visitors and 2,300 representatives of the media.

The 39th edition of the international art show closed on a very high note. The 300 exhibiting galleries considered this year’s Art Basel a great success. The 60,000 visitors to Art 39 Basel included not only art collectors, museum professionals, and art enthusiasts from all over the world. A great many artists were also drawn to the event, among them Ellsworth Kelly, Thomas Ruff, Takashi Murakawi, Tony Oursler, Pipilotti Rist, Ernesto Neto, Andrea Zittel, Isa Genzken, and Dan Graham, to name only a few. Some 2,300 media representatives from all continents came to see what the international art market has to offer. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung noted: «Der Marktplatz für die Kunst bleibt Basel» («Basel remains the marketplace for art»); the Times of London drew a flattering comparison: «Frieze may have more of a buzz, Art Basel Miami Beach (the US sister fair) may be brasher and have better weather but, without a doubt, Art Basel still packs the biggest punch»; the Dagbladet Børsen of Copenhagen observed: «...paa aarets Art Basel, hvor det generelle indtryk er, at kun et bedste af det bedste er blevet accepteret» («...at this year’s Art Basel, the general impression was that only the best of the best is accepted»); Madrid’s El Pais declared: «Art Basel, la reina de las ferias de arte» («Art Basel, the queen of art fairs»), whereas El Mundo, likewise from Spain, was in no doubt: «¿Crisis económica? No para Art Basel» («Economic crisis? Not for Art Basel»); the Parisian Le Monde declared: «Art Basel est devenu la meilleure foire du monde et l’èquivalent dans ce domaine du Festival des Cannes pour le cinéma» («Art Basel has become the world’s best fair and the equivalent, in its field, to what the Cannes Festival is to cinema»); and, finally, Germany’s Stern magazine pronounced Art Basel: «Das Super-Ereignis des Kunstjahres» («The super event of the art year»).

Art Basel Conversations were a huge success. Attracting several hundred people every day, they featured distinguished experts discussing such subjects as the development of new art institutions in Eastern Europe, the collection and preservation of media art, and the work done by gallerists operating at the margins of the global art market. The premiere of Art Basel Conversations was a discussion between the two artists Lawrence Weiner and Jorge Pardo.

The special Artist Magazines exhibition was also very popular with visitors. There was also enormous interest in the Art on Stage platform at the Theater Basel, where Elmgreen & Dragset’s performance Drama Queens was presented on Wednesday, June 4. Professional Day on Friday was well received by its target audience and found some 70 galleries staging special activities at their booths: solo shows of young artists, thematic exhibitions, book premieres, lectures, performances, and guided tours. By the last day of the show, the lavishly illustrated catalog, with its comprehensive survey of what the international art market currently has to offer, was sold out, as was the catalog to the Art Unlimited exhibition.

All the participants in Art 39 Basel considered it a very good year, their responses ranging from satisfied to enthusiastic. Visitor interest was reported to be extraordinarily high. Never before have so many major art collectors from all over the world come to Art Basel. Never before has the show attracted so many famous artists. Hotel rooms in and around Basel were booked solid. There were private collectors from all continents. 205 private jets landed at Basel-Mulhouse airport during the course of the show. Representatives of almost all the world’s major museums came. There was a particularly marked increase in collectors and curators of the Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Russian art scenes. According to Show Management surveys, all the exhibiting galleries were able to find buyers for their works, many exhibitors reporting good to very good sales results.

Mathias Rastorfer, director of Galerie Gmurzynska (Zurich): «I was struck by the heightened European purchasing power. There was more demand than in past years for modern classics. There was brisk buying interest from the start. We had good sales in the medium- and high-price sectors, and found new clients as well. Visitors also included institutional collectors from the East and Russia.»

Barbara Wien, owner of Galerie Wien (Berlin): «Fantastic. I am very pleased with my location at Art Premiere this year. The format is great – the way a subject can be communicated is like at no other exhibition, it’s not just a matter of selling art. I find that fabulous! We used the opportunity to invite two artists to observe from outside how we muddle about in our culture. Sales were also very good.»

Peggy Leboeuf, director of Galerie Perrotin (Paris, Miami): «This has been a great fair. We changed our booth every day, to get the most out of it. We had a lot of visitors, especially in the first three days. Here at the Art Basel we had the opportunity to show Bharti Kehr and Conrad Showcross for the first time, also the Peter Kurfin Prints were a good combination together with our exhibit at Art Unlimited.»

Sean Kelly, owner of Sean Kelly Gallery (New York): «For us it was a very successful fair. We had less American collectors, probably because there was no Venice Biannual this year. 75-80% of the sales went to Europe. Through Art Unlimited we got a lot of attention and we had sales to major museums as well as foundations.»

Waling Boers, co-owner of Boers-Li Gallery (Beijing): «Fantastic. An absolutely promising fair. Professional audience as always. Art Unlimited was a great chance for us – the train by Qui Anxiong is definitely moving, but the destination is not sure yet.»

Hans Mayer, owner of Galerie Hans Mayer (Düsseldorf): «The fair was excellent for us. It showed once again that people don’t just go to auctions to buy art. This year’s fair also confirmed that this is an excellent place for art mediation, an ideal networking platform.»

Rosemarie Schwarzwälder, owner of Galerie nächst St. Stephan (Vienna): «The fair was super. Everything went very well. We sold to excellent clients, mainly museums and foundations. The audience was particularly interested this year. The strong European market was also striking. Jessica Stockholder went to the Sammlung Goetz/Munich, Michal Budny was sold to the Stiftung Blauklang/Berlin Grünewald.»

Xavier Hufkens, owner of Galerie Hufkens (Brussels): «Art 39 Basel was excellent. More collectors came from Asia and Russia. We have done very well. And it seems Art Unlimited is becoming as important as any biennales around.»

The art - Art experts attending the show agreed that the quality and variety of works on display at Art 39 Basel were unparalleled. The participating galleries did their utmost to bring along their most interesting pieces and present them in carefully devised exhibitions. Various booths featured thematic exhibitions and one-person shows. Known from the start as the most important fair for 20th-century classics, Art Basel has meanwhile established itself as the world’s premier platform for contemporary art as well. More galleries of contemporary art exhibit here than at any other art fair. Various galleries presented video works and large installations. Paintings and works on paper experienced a boom, and photography continued to be strongly represented.

The sectors - The results of the Art Unlimited platform, showcasing works that exceed the scope of traditional art-fair exhibition booths and frequently even of gallery and museum spaces, were extremely positive. There were 70 projects on display: installations, video projections, large-scale paintings, and outsize sculptures. Numerous artists created new works specifically for Art Unlimited and installed them themselves. Enthusiasm was not restricted to the galleries and artists alone: experts and the general public alike judged this year’s edition of Art Unlimited to be one of the best since its inception in the year 2000. The Art Lobby discussion platform gave visitors several opportunities daily for personal encounters with leading members of the international art scene, among them artists such as Jorge Pardo, Patti Smith, AA Bronson, Richard Meier, and many more. The Art Statements sector, with its 31 one-person shows of young artists, was a further audience magnet. The participants were delighted at the keen interest it aroused, which not only brought in good sales but also provided opportunities to make contact with a host of exhibition makers from all over the world and generated considerable media interest. This year’s Baloise Prize of CHF 25,000 each, donated by the Baloise Group, went to Duncan Campbell (Hotel, London) and Tris Vonna-Michell (T293, Naples).

The ten projects on Exhibition Square, in front of the international art show buildings, surprised and delighted visitors. They were an effective demonstration of the way contemporary artists deal with art in public space. The Art Edition sector, where international publishers present prints and multiples, also attracted great interest. The idea of presenting artists in dialogue in the Art Premiere sector earned praise from the public and was described as exhilarating. The Art Film sector at the Stadtkino Basel, featuring films by and about artists, has meanwhile become a popular institution. The evenings with films by Isaac Julien and Lawrence Weiner attracted particular interest. Never before have there been so many exhibitions and events in the area during Art Basel. The exhibitions at Basel’s museums - but also the cultural program on offer in neighboring cities - are noteworthy complements to the art show and contribute to its appeal.

Results - Art 39 Basel once again sparked the enthusiasm of the art world. The show is the most popular international meeting place for gallerists, collectors, artists, art mediators, and art enthusiasts. Its very good sales results give impetus to the art market. Art Basel confirmed its undisputed position as the world’s premier art show and did justice to its reputation as an art event with international resonance. The 20th edition of Art Basel takes place from June 10 through 14, 2009.

Sponsors and Partners - The international financial institution UBS has been Art Basel’s main sponsor since 1994, an association it has only recently renewed with a multi year agreement. Since 2001, this longstanding partnership has also included the show’s sister event, Art Basel Miami Beach.

«With Art Basel, we found an excellent platform in 1994 to demonstrate our commitment to beauty and creativity. Its highly professional organizers offer the art world an impressive art showcase – in that stimulating space between creativity and commerce – that seeks its equal elsewhere in the world,» says Marcel Rohner, Group Chief Executive Officer of UBS. Art Basel’s outstanding reputation is worldwide and enhances the riverside city’s own artistic life. Thus, from April through September 2009, the renowned Kunstmuseum Basel will be staging a major exhibition of landscapes by Vincent Van Gogh; UBS will be supporting the museum as presenting sponsor.

Art Basel also receives support from the following firms: Cartier, NetJets, AXA Art, ZURICH, Baloise Holding, Audi, Moët & Chandon, Swiss, and Vitra.

Philadelphia Museum Highlights Modern Art Of India

Source: www.philamuseum.org

In 1905, Britain had ruled the country for more than 50 years, and westernization had largely pushed indigenous artistic traditions aside. In response, many artists looked toward the past for new ideas inspired by a sense of independent nationhood. By the time the region obtained its freedom from Britain in 1947, new forms of urban contemporary art had forcefully emerged.

Multiple Modernities: India, 1905-2005 (on view through Dec. 7, 2008 in the William P. Wood Gallery, 227) consists of more than 25 drawings, prints and watercolor paintings produced by South Asian artists before and after the region’s independence and subsequent partition into India and Pakistan. In addition to works from the Museum’s own broad collection of South Asian art, the exhibition includes a number of other works lent from the renowned Herwitz Collection of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Multiple Modernities was organized and made possible by a Halpern-Rogath Curatorial Seminar in the History of Art Department at the University of Pennsylvania.

The exhibition illustrates the range of artistic traditions and experiments in visual culture that emerged as South Asia transformed from a British colony to independent nation-states to a world economic power. Many of South Asia’s preeminent artists of the past century are represented, woven together by four themes.

The first sections, "Home and the World" and "Tradition and Invention," look at the first half of the 20th century leading up to independence. They explore South Asian artists’ challenges to British rule and their attempts to establish a national identity through the visual arts. The debate on the nature of this identity included new appreciation of India’s varied artistic traditions. Jamini Roy (1887-1972), for example, looked toward regional eastern Indian folk traditions for his simplified forms and bold, flat colors. In The Festival (c. 1930-40), Roy used rich earth tones to evoke paintings by the local Santhal tribal group. The Festival, which comes from the Museum’s collection and is exhibited here for the first time, is an unusual work in the artist’s extensive oeuvre because of its large size and use of canvas rather than paper.

One of the most significant individuals in the fight for cultural regeneration was Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), who collaborated with a group of artists and intellectuals to launch what has been called the "Bengal Renaissance." A writer, educator, and Asia’s first Nobel laureate (Literature, 1913), Tagore did not focus on visual art until he was well into his 60’s. The exhibition includes a rare and never-before-displayed group of seven of his imaginative and enigmatic drawings and paintings from the Museum’s collection. Some of Tagore’s works, such as Phoenix (c. 1928-30), depict bizarrely abstracted birds and animals that he described as un-liberated life forms struggling to escape the confinements of their bodies. A brooding oil painting of a woman’s head may be a portrait of Stella Kramrisch (1896-1993) — a teacher at Tagore’s experimental university in the 1920s and subsequently at the University of Calcutta and the University of Pennsylvania. Kramrisch was the Museum’s curator of Indian art from 1954 to 1993, and donated this group of Tagore’s works from her personal collection.

"From Artistic Collective to Individual Expression" explores the impact and aftermath of the Progressive Artists Group in Bombay. Formed in 1948 and disbanded a few years later, the group members searched for their individual artistic voices, rather than solely a national vision. Its members and associates included some of the major artists who shaped modern India, such as F.N. Souza, M.F. Hussain, and Tyeb Mehta, all represented in this exhibition. During the 1960s and 70s, a younger generation modeled in part on the Progressives renewed their search to infuse art with powerful individuality. Their variety of voices is evident in works including Bhupen Khakhar’s Shame (after 1983) and Gieve Patel’s Dead Politician (1972).

"Figuration and Abstraction" focuses on the latter half of the 20th century, and includes a recently acquired collage-lithograph by Atul Dodiya. Based on a minor episode in the great Hindu epic Ramayana, Sabari with her birds (2005) explores the power of faith through the tale of a tribal woman who spends her life alone in the forest preparing to encounter God. The work is part of a series inspired by three paintings by Indian artist Nandalal Bose (1882-1966), whose retrospective will be on display concurrently in the Museum.

"Multiple Modernities offers an unusual opportunity to appreciate the breadth of South Asian art from the 20th century, and gives insights into the challenges that artists confronted in developing both a national identity and authentic personal voices," Darielle Mason, the Stella Kramrisch Curator of Indian and Himalayan Art, said. "Many of these issues are also explored in our simultaneous special exhibition focused on the master painter Nandalal Bose, and to see both shows together at the Museum this summer is a rare treat." Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose (1882-1966) will be on view from June 27 to September 1, 2008.

Multiple Modernities was organized last fall by students in a Halpern-Rogath Curatorial Seminar at the University of Pennsylvania. Led by University of Pennsylvania Professors Michael W. Meister and Mason, graduate students Beth Citron, Nachiket Chanchani, Neil Ghosh, Jenna Levy, and Nyssa Liebermann selected the works for the exhibition, produced the wall and label texts, and traveled to Salem, Massachusetts to select works from the Herwitz Collection, the foremost public collection of 20th century South Asian art in the United States. -- www.philamuseum.org

A CELEBRATION OF SOUTH ASIAN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART AT CHRISTIE’S IN JUNE 2008

Source: Christie’s Press Release
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Contact: Hannah Schmidt +44 (0) 207 389 2664 hschmidt@christies.com

A CELEBRATION OF SOUTH ASIAN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART AT CHRISTIE’S IN JUNE 2008
LED BY:
• EXHIBITION OF 32 WORKS FROM THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF TINA AND ANIL
AMBANI GO ON PUBLIC VIEW FOR THE FIRST TIME: 7-10 June 2008
• 12 WORKS OFFERED FROM HARMONY ART FOUNDATION (Founder and Patron Mrs Tina
Ambani) IN ASSOCIATION WITH BARCLAYS WEALTH – PROCEEDS TO GO TO THE
FOUNDATION’S FUTURE ACTIVITIES - CHRISTIE’S SALE: 11 June 2008 at 2.00pm
• MUSEUM QUALITY MASTERPIECES BY FRANCIS NEWTON SOUZA AND TYEB MEHTA
LEAD CHRISTIE’S LONDON SOUTH ASIAN MODERN + CONTEMPORARY ART SALE –
WHICH IS EXPECTED TO REALISE IN EXCESS OF £3.7 MILLION: 11 June 2008 at 2.00pm

South Kensington - Christie’s London is proud to announce a particularly fresh and multi-faceted
celebration of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art in June 2008. To coincide with the June auction, Christie’s is greatly honoured to curate and host an exhibition of works from The
Private Collection of Tina and Anil Ambani. On public view for the first time, from
Saturday 7 June to Tuesday 10 June, this collection of 32 works showcases a range of
artists, from masters of the Progressive Artists Group era such as Maqbool Fida Husain,
Tyeb Mehta and Syed Haider Raza, through to leading names in contemporary art
including Atul Dodiya, Jitish Kallat, T.V. Santhosh and Riyas Komu. This exhibition
provides a fascinating reflection of the discerning eye and strong, visionary tastes of its
renowned owners (Mrs Tina Ambani illustrated left).

Coinciding with this exhibition, 12 works will be offered from The Harmony Art
Foundation in association with Barclays Wealth as part of Christie’s London
sale of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art on Wednesday 11 June. The 12
works, led by Maqbool Fida Hussain’s Untitled (estimate: £12,000-18,000) illustrated
right, Francis Newton Souza’s Untitled, 1956 (estimate: £15,000-20,000), H.G.
Arunkumar’s playful sculptures Toys: Aeroplane- Car-Sprung Ball (estimate: £15,000-
20,000) and Navjot Altaf’s powerful sculpture December 15th, 2000 (estimate:
£18,000-20,000), are being auctioned. The proceeds will go to the future activities of the Foundation. These works are hoped to fetch in excess of £100,000. Elsewhere in Christie’s South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art sale on Wednesday 11 June 2008, a further 100 works from the leading 20th and 21st century artists from South Asia, including artists from India and Pakistan will be offered. Highlights include Francis Newton Souza’s Birth, 1955 (estimate: £600,000- 800,000) illustrated page five, and Tyeb Mehta’s Untitled (Figure on Rickshaw), 1984 (estimate: £300,000-500,000), illustrated right, which are museum quality masterpieces and timeless examples of 20th century classic Modern styles, as well as key contemporary works such as Subodh Gupta’s Untitled, 2007 (estimate: £300,000-500,000) illustrated page five,. The sale as a whole is expected to realise in excess of £3.7 million.
These three dynamic aspects combine to provide 5 days at Christie’s to explore, examine, engage and to be inspired by the art, artists, and philanthropists Tina and Anil Ambani, of one unique cultural region that continues to grow in artistic strength and international recognition.

THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF TINA AND ANIL AMBANI

Christie’s is greatly honoured to curate and host an exhibition of 32 works from The Private Collection Tina and Anil Ambani, which are on public view for the first time, from Saturday 7 June to Tuesday 10 June at the spectacular new contemporary interiors of Christie’s South Kensington. The definitive aesthetic vision and deeprooted philanthropy of Anil Ambani, who is arguably corporate India’s most recognized and internationally acclaimed businessman and his wife Tina Ambani, a successful actor in Bollywood speakeasy for the Hindi film industry prior to her marriage, have combined to form this superlative art collection that represents their
support and commitment to art practice in India today. Tina and Anil Ambani: “This collection has evolved naturally from a desire to seek beauty and creativity in myriad forms and promote emerging talent in India. It gives us both enormous personal pleasure and pride to share this collection with art cognoscenti and connoisseurs. We hope this evokes a greater interest in Indian art - its diversity and virtuosity.”

Hugo Weihe, Christie’s International Director Asian Art and International Specialist Head Indian
and Southeast Asian Art: "We are delighted and honored to have curated this exhibition of selected works from The Tina and Anil Ambani Collection. This is a first for Christie’s. It provides a unique opportunity to view key works by many of the leading artists in India today, collected with true passion and a most discerning eye."

The collection is a joyous celebration of the beauty and importance of the artworks themselves and what can be gained from them in both artistic style and also aesthetic pleasure. Works by masters of the Progressive Artist Group include M.F. Husain’s Untitled, 1970 and rare work Prophet, 1954, Tyeb Mehta’s extraordinary graphic image Bull on Rickshaw, 1999, which exemplifies Mehta’s post-cubist style - employing minimal lines and opaque masses of colour to create single dominating forms, illustrated left. The trussed bull on its way to slaughter is one of the few recurring motifs in the artist’s oeuvre. In this case the bull taken for slaughter precariously balanced on its mount serves as a metaphor for man’s violent encounter with his own environment which Mehta has witnessed during Partition riots on the streets and communal violence. Key works by S.H. Raza are also featured, including his enigmatic Surya, 1974, Domain and the hypnotic work Bindu, 1998. This work examines the ‘beej’ or cosmos that reverberates as ‘naad’ sound, signifying wholeness and continuity. In the mid-1970s, Raza shifted from an energetic expressionist abstraction to symbols derived from Indian geometric abstraction. In his painterly style however, Raza transcends the Indian yantra to gain a more universal expression.

From the leading names in contemporary art paintings include Atul Dodiya’s hauntingly beautiful Man Walking, 1996, illustrated left and Bapu Planting, 1999, as well as Jitish Kallat’s thought provoking diptych Aren’t We All Getting Spotted, 2002, T.V. Santhosh’s The Milking Machine, 2003 and Riyas Komu’s Systematic Citizen 9 to 9, illustrated right. This is a rare
opportunity to gain insight into the very personal artistic passion, finely discerning eye and highly developed tastes of its owners who are one of Indias’ most powerful and important couples. Please see separate image sheet for full list of all works and artists to be exhibited.

WORKS FROM THE HARMONY ART FOUNDATION IN ASSOCIATION
WITH BARCLAYS WEALTH

In 1995, well before the surge of global interest in modern and contemporary Indian art, Tina Ambani created Harmony Art Foundation to provide a non-profit platform for emerging artists in the subcontinent and build bridges of understanding with other cultures and artistic perspectives. Many of today’s prominent artists started their careers at Harmony, including Jitish Kallat, Anju Dodiya and Atul Dodiya. In support of this endeavour, on 11 June Harmony Foundation will be offering 12 works for sale at Christie’s. The proceeds will be used to further the organisation’s activities.

Mrs Tina Ambani, Founder and Patron of Harmony Art Foundation: “I am truly passionate about the Harmony Art Foundation; it aims to empower artists and sculptors in India by creating infrastructure for them to blossom, furthering exchange and dialogue through international collaboration; giving awards and holding residencies that promote Indian and international artists and sculptors; and offering private support for non-mainstream art forms like sculpture, environmental and video installation. Over time, the foundation wishes to create a keener sense of knowledge and sensitivity about the rich spectrum of contemporary art practices in the country. Going forward, the foundation aims to hold more events and workshops and work with museums and private collectors, in India and across the world. The collaboration between Christie’s, Barclays Wealth and Harmony Art Foundation to sell these 12 works and raise funds will enable the foundation to achieve its mandate.”

Dr Amin Jaffer, Christie’s International Director of Asian Art: “I am delighted that Christie’s, the world’s leading art business, Harmony Art Foundation and Barclays Wealth have united in this significant collaboration which highlights the importance of philanthropy within the arts. The inspirational vision and commitment of founder and patron, Mrs Tina Ambani, have already made a positive impact in supporting artistic practice in the present day. Art crosses boundaries and unites people with a stimulating, shared appreciation of creativity and originality. Christie’s is proud to facilitate the sale of works from the Harmony Art Foundation as part of the London sale of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art on 11 June 2008 and we feel confident that with bidders around the world these works will raise significant funds to help the Foundation’s future philanthropic projects.”

Gerard Aquilina, Head of International Banking, Barclays Wealth:“It is clear that India’s unprecedented rise on the global economic stage is being mirrored in the world of art. Our latest Insights report, titled “Evolving Fortunes”, shows that there will be 411,000 households with wealth in excess of US$1 million in the country by 2017 from almost none in 2008. Barclays Wealth is proud to be supporting Christies and Mrs Tina Ambani in raising awareness of Indian contemporary art in this innovative way, and crucially, the important work of the Harmony Art Foundation. We work closely with our clients to help them understand how art can enrich their lives and hence this exhibition provides an ideal opportunity to showcase not only some of the best up and coming talent, but raise cultural and social awareness of Indian art too amongst an influential audience.”

The 12 works have estimates ranging from £3,000 through to £20,000, making this an accessible group of works, with fascinating provenance, which will excite both new and established collectors. They are led by Maqbool Fida Hussain’s Untitled (estimate: £12,000-18,000), Francis Newton Souza’s Untitled, 1956 (estimate: £15,000-20,000), H.G.
Arunkumar’s playful sculptures Toys: Aeroplane- Car-Sprung Ball, which are brass and nickel coated, 2006 (estimate: £15,000-20,000) illustrated left, and Navjot Altaf’s powerful sculpture December 15th, 2000 (estimate: £18,000-20,000). Other works range from Anupam Sud’s set of three sensuous etchings Draupadi’s Vow; Couch Potato; Infiltrators, 2006 (estimate £8,000-12,000) and Akbar Padamsee’s Head, 2006 (estimate: £8,000-10,000), to Dhruva Mistry’s Moving Mountains - 2 bronze 1988-1990, edition 3/5 (estimate: £8,000-10,000) and Spatial Diagram, stainless steel and paint 2005-2006, variation 7 (estimate £6,000-8,000) illustrated below right. Rameshwar Broota’s photograph Untitled - 14 , 2007; edition 9/9 (estimate £6,000-8,000), Ambreen Butt’s Daughter of the East, from the ’Dirty and Pretty’ series, 2008 (estimate £3,500-4,500), Farhad Hussain’s Untitled, 2008 (estimate £3,000-4,000) and Dhruvi Acharya’s set of three watercolours Metamorph II (I); Metamorph II (II); Metamorph II (III), 2008 (estimate £3,000-4,000), are also sure to attract great
interest. Please see separate image sheet to view all works to be offered from the Harmony Art
Foundation in association with Barclays Wealth.

Tina Ambani has combined her own artistic energies with sponsorship from the Reliance ADA Group, channelling resources towards the Harmony Art Foundation, which organises annual non-profit selling exhibitions and the Harmony Art Show, India’s largest annual private contemporary art show. Over the past 13 years, the show has attracted over half-a-million people and provided a platform to a wide range of artists from all over India who are at different points in their careers; it has nurtured emerging talent, and made the acquisition of art a simpler, linear process by creating an accessible environment where the artist and collector - amateur or seasoned - can find each other. In recent years, the Harmony Art show has sought to emphasise the link between art and wider society by fostering a sense of responsibility and commitment towards the underprivileged. The Foundation is associated with social welfare organisations that exhibit the creative talents of underprivileged children at its shows.

CHRISTIE’S SOUTH ASIAN MODERN + CONTEMPORARY ART SALE:

Christie’s South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art sale on Wednesday 11 June 2008, features a total of 112 works - including those offered from the Harmony Art Foundation in association with Barclays Wealth - from the leading 20th and 21st century artists from South Asia and artists from India and Pakistan. Highlights include Francis Newton Souza’s Birth, 1955 (estimate: 600,000-800,000) illustrated below and Tyeb Mehta’s Untitled (Figure on Rickshaw), 1984 (estimate: £300,000- 500,000) illustrated page two, which are museum quality masterpieces and timeless examples of 20th century classic Modern styles, as well as key contemporary works such as Subodh Gupta’s Untitled, 2007 (estimate: £300,000-500,000) illustrated left. The sale as a whole is expected to realise in excess of £3.7 million.

Yamini Mehta, Christie’s Senior Specialist, South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art, London: “The market for Indian art is very strong. It has incredible depth because it started as a market that was supported by Indians worldwide and now is picking up steam internationally. We are very excited about the selection in the sale as it includes many exceptional works and masterpieces with universal appeal.”

Modern works: Birth, 1955 (estimate: £600,000-800,000) illustrated right, is a masterpiece by the founder of the Progressive Artists Group, Francis Newton Souza. This painting exemplifies the artistic essence of Souza and is his most important work to come to auction. The property of a Private American Collection, this painting was submitted for The Guggenheim Painting Award in 1958 and also part of the London Commonwealth Institute of Art’s Indian Painting Now touring exhibition in 1965; in 2005 Souza became the only Indian artist to have a room dedicated to his works at Tate Britain. The excellent provenance, beauty and content of this
work are sure to create great excitement amongst both institutions and private collectors.
Tyeb Mehta’s Untitled (Figure on Rickshaw), 1984 (estimate: £300,000-500,000) illustrated page two, is another leading highlight within the sale. Mehta’s iconic Rickshaw series underscores the anonymity and isolation of the common laborers; his paintings reflect his own disillusionment with the world around him. The powerful content of Mehta’s works is heightened by his unique formal treatment of the canvas. As with Souza’s Birth this painting played an important part in the development of Indian art and is museum quality; always in fierce demand, this work by Mehta is likely to attract competitive bidding.

A further key work is Rameshwar Broota’s Havaldar –III, 1980 (estimate: £90,000- 120,000) illustrated left. This painting reflects Broota’s visual transition from his earlier ironic ‘Gorilla Man’ to his ‘Primordial Man’, who symbolizes the universal substance of the human being. This was executed during the period when Broota discovered his signature technique of layering flat monochromatic pigment and then scratching and scraping at the surface with the sharp edge of a broken blade. Other strong modern works include Maqbool Fida Husain’s Untitled, circa 1970 (estimate £120,000-160,000) illustrated right, and Gandhi - Man of Peace, 1969 (estimate: £100,000-150,000), as well as Syed Haider Raza’s Rajput House, 1965-1966 (estimate: £80,000-120,000) and Sadequain’s Untitled, 1985 (estimate: £20,000-25,000). Contemporary works: Subodh Gupta’s Untitled, 2007, edition 2/3 is the star lot amongst the contemporary art offered and is estimated to realize between £300,000 and £500,000, illustrated top of previous page. Epitomizing his artistic vocabulary, which is firmly rooted in the vernacular of everyday India, this work is made of stainless steel and stainless steel kitchen utensils: milk pails, washing buckets, tiffin boxes, chappati tongs and daal strainers; durable items which are familiar to all echelons of Indian society and often part of the bridal trousseau. Gupta sees these gleaming mass-market commodities as symbolizing India’s struggle for an equilibrium between urban/rural; wealth/poverty; socialism/capitalism; low caste/high caste and religion/secularism.

Addressing another aspect of contemporary society, Ravinder Reddy’s sculpture Head (estimate: £60,000-80,000) explores the traditional and the contemporary in both theme and material. Made from fiberglass and enamel paint rather than traditional materials such as clay, plaster and gold leaf, Reddy references Jeff Koons, whilst thematically addressing the issue of maintaining reverence and adherence to tradition whilst being under pressure from society to achieve femininity and beauty through makeup, clothing and hair styling. Attached Wings, 2004 by Ashim Purkayastha, (estimate£40,000-60,000), is a stunning mixed media work which has been exhibited in Mumbai at the Sakshi Gallery’s dedicated show in 2004 and also in London at the Aicon Gallery’s New Wave –Contemporary Art from India show in 2007. Born in Digboi, Assam, to Bengali refugees, Purkayastha later moved to New Delhi, where he was able to view and dissect the contemporary culture of the Indian Republic’s bustling capital with the discerning eye of an outsider. Inspired by the current socio-political situation, he sorts through imagery of Indian daily life, identifying overlooked items such as stamps and re-contextualizes them to reveal political and social messages. Elsewhere in the sale other contemporary works include T.V. Santhosh’s Untitled, 2005 (estimate: £30,000-50,000), Justin Ponmany’s Staple agony - II (Plastic Memory), 2006 (estimate: £30,000-50,000) and Anita Dube’s Offering, 2000 (estimate: £5,000-£7,000).

London sees a new spring of Indian art by Ashoke Nag

Source: Economic Times

KOLKATA: Indian art has created a wave at the Sotheby’s auction in London. The auction has scaled a total sale value of £4.290 million. This is well above the highest presale estimate of £3.4 million. F N Souza’s oil on canvas, The Red Road, has swung the tallest price of £5,80,000 against an estimate of £2,50,000-3,50,000.

But, a name who was waiting to reach far higher price levels for a long time, has turned out to be a staggering performance. Rabindranath Tagore’s Death Scene has gone for £1,44,500. Interestingly, 97 of the 123 lots on offer have been picked by collectors. This works out to a sale percentage of around 79% in terms of volume.

Together with Souza, a Subodh Gupta Untitled oil on canvas has fetched £2,64,500 and was bought by an anonymous buyer, while an Akbar Padamsee Untitled has gone £2,64,500. In step, another Padamsee has been picked up for £2,52,500, a Souza Untitled has been acquired for £2,28,500 and an M F Husain Untitled has been bought for £1,50,500. In the same breath, Souza’s Still Life has been acquired for £1,44,500, Atul Dodiya’s Each Father, Lost (VIII) £1,38,500 and S H Raza’s La Source £1,08,500.

In an email to ET from London, head of Indian art at Sotheby’s London Zara Porter-Hill said: “Indian art continues to prosper. It’s a market on the move. We collated a carefully edited sale with superlative examples from across the board and we are thrilled with the response we have witnessed.

We saw strong and encouraging prices achieved throughout the sale, with both modern and contemporary works performing equally well. Bidding came from a very international audience, which included private collectors, institutions and the trade. The auction was a great success and we look forward to the international contemporary sale in New York later this month which features a select group of works by Indian contemporary artists.”

According to her, the sale offered lots of “quality and provenance” which traced the course of Indian art over the last century and encompassed works by key figures of the Modern Indian Art movement such as F N Souza and Akbar Padamsee, through to the cutting-edge names of Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher and Jitish Kallat.

Incidentally, in tandem with Subodh Gupta’s record price, Bharti Kher’s Missing made £1,06,100 against a presale estimate of £30,000-40,000. At the same time, T V Santosh’s A Handful of Ashes has sold for £1,02,500 over the presale estimate of £30,000-40,000, while a diptych by Thukral and Tagra titled Stop Think Go sold at £1,02,500 and Jitish Kallat’s work from a series collectively Humiliation Tax realised £58,100. The veteran Amitabha Banerjee, who has rarely featured in an international auction, has gone for £4,500.

“The sale, which was extremely well-attended both during the presale exhibition and in the saleroom, saw spirited and competitive bidding throughout. 67% of the lots in the sale sold for prices in excess of their presale high estimate and an impressive 11 new auction records were established including Rabindranath Tagore and Jitish Kallat among others,” Sotheby’s assistant VP Kristin Gelder said.

SIndian modern art fetches 4.28 mn pounds in London auction

Source: Business Standard

LONDON: A painting by Francis Newton Souza fetched the top price of 580,500 pounds - outperforming old masters Tagore and Jamini Roy - at an auction of Indian modern and contemporary art at Sotheby’s on Friday.

The painting, titled The Red Road, was hotly contested by at least seven bidders before selling to a client on the telephone, Sotheby’s said.

One of the stars of the sale, the canvas was a gift from Souza, who died in 2002, to his wife Maria in 1962, a period widely acknowledged as the artist’s most successful. The painting was exhibited at the Hayward Gallery in London in 1989.

The Souza was among 120 paintings, which together fetched a sum of 4.28 million pounds, showing the continuing appeal of modern Indian art, a Sotheby’s specialist said.

"Indian Art continues to prosper - it’s a market on the move," said Zara Porter-Hill, head of Indian Art at Sotheby’s. She said the auction house was "thrilled with the response that we’ve witnessed."

"Bidding came from a very international audience, which included private collectors, institutions and the trade. The auction was a great success and we now look forward to the international Contemporary sale in New York later this month which features a select group of works by Indian Contemporary artists."

Sixty-seven percent of the paintings sold for prices in excess of their pre-sale high estimates.

Among the contemporary group, an untitled canvas by young cutting-edge artist Subodh Gupta fetched the top price of 264,500 pounds.

Two works by Akbar Padamsee were other strong performers in the modern section of the auction, a nude selling for 252,500 pounds and an untitled landscape fetching 264,500 pounds.

Rabindranath Tagore’s Death Scene made 144,500 pounds against an estimate of 15,000-20,000 pounds and his Bird sold for 70,100 pounds; and Jamini Roy’s Santal Couple sold for 29,300 pounds.

Tagore’s Death Scene established a new auction record for the artist.

Art criticism
 

Georgina Maddox

What is the importance of art critics? Do people take it as seriously as they do in the West when a show is panned by a critic, asks Maria Elena, another student from Milan, who is here to study Indian art.
To answer her question, the field of Indian art history and criticism is very young. Even younger than Contemporary art practice. Our first art historian and philosopher was the Colombo born Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy who created a pan Asian understanding of Indian Art. He rescued our much maligned monsters, since early European art historians had reacted negatively to the vision of many headed gods and goddesses that they had encountered in the temples and caves of India. Our histories and criticism were largely oral and it was with Coomaraswamy that a disciplined and structured format of art history and criticism began, one that was accessible to the West (since what the Shilpashastra did was more for practitioners than audience). There were others, like Karl Khandelwal who played an important role in writing about and talking to artists like Amrita Sher- Gil, while it was Rudy Von Leyden, an Austrian scholar who wrote critical pieces on the Bombay Progressives for newspapers.

It was only later that critics like Geeta Kapoor and Gulam Sheikh, who are once again, not read by the common man, began writing critically about Indian Contemporary art. This was followed by a spate of erudite writings by media people who showed a deep commitment to writing on art, like Ranjit Hoskote and Girish Sahane.

In today’s day, it is not the common man who reads art reviews but those who are already interested in art. Within the charmed circle of critics, collectors and gallery owners, a review can play an important part in determining whether an artist is appraised or panned. However, we are yet to come to the stage where a critic’s review can make or break an artist’s career.