BENGALURU: The Indian art market has witnessed an upward trajectory in sales for modern Indian art over the years. Mumbai-based auction house AstaGuru, which has observed a steady demand for modern Indian art from collectors, is presenting an online auction called ‘Collectors Choice: Modern Indian Art’ on Nov. 18 -19. Among a host of prominent artists whose works will go under the hammer is also KK Hebbar, who spent his early years in Udupi, and then moved to Mumbai.
His daughter, Rekha Rao, a noted artist herself, lives in Bengaluru. Hebbar’s untitled work, an oil on canvas, done in ‘83, will be on auction. It uses yellow, green, blue and brown as predominant hues, and carries an estimated price of Rs 6-8 lakh. “KK Hebbar is one of India’s most revered modernists. He established a unique style and became a figure of inspiration for generations to come.
As a matter of fact, he was active prior to the advent of post-independence Modernism, and therefore contributed a great deal to the very foundation of Modern Indian Art,” says Siddanth Shetty, V P Business St rate g y & Operat ions, AstaGuru. A highlight of the auction is an early Untitled Chinese ink on paper (pasted on board) work by Tyeb Mehta from ‘63. Estimated at Rs 15-20 lakh, the rarity of this, besides its vintage identity and theme, is also the medium.
The work represents a period when Mehta adopted techniques and styles associated with modernist as well as avant-garde art movements in North America and Europe from the 1950s and ‘60s, and then turned to ‘Indian’ themes and subjects through the ‘70s and ‘80s. The presented lot was originally from the collection of industrialist Sir Biren Mukherjee and Lady Ranu Mukherjee, renowned patrons of the arts. Shetty adds that the catalogue is an example of the diverse expression of modern Indian art with rare works from the masters across several mediums.
“Building a good collection can take years. It requires a keen eye, and a desire to explore, gain exposure, and study the evolution of an artist and their body of work. Enthusiasts collect for several reasons, but they always try to find works which resonate with them and at the same time are telling of the artist’s mastery, and ones which form significant milestones in their oeuvre,” he explains. Their aim through this sale is to present works that have been hand-picked by collectors who understand art.
“A number of works in this sale have never exchanged hands and were purchased directly from the artist by their present owners,” Shetty adds. The auction also has several early paper works by masters from the Progressive Artists’ Group (PAG), which offer a glimpse into their early explorations as artists. F N Souza’s, Untitled, gouacheon paper, 1945, making its auction debut at Rs 6-8 lakh, which showcases his style that he developed through distortion of form.
This is evident in Woman as Goddess, oil on canvas, 1975, estimated at Rs 20-25 lakh. Other important paper works include S H Raza’s Untitled, watercolour on paper, circa 1940, estimated at Rs 10-15 lakh, and M F Husain’s Untitled, watercolour on paper, circa 1980, depicting a galloping horse, estimated at Rs 4-6 lakh. (For details, visit astaguru.com)