In Friday evening, the who’s who – politerati, chitterati and glitterati of the national capital came together. The men took out their ties, sharp suits, women their chiffons, pearls and baubles, and headed to the Taj Palace. In between talking about the latest political developments in the upper part of the country and swirling their wine glasses, they breezed through an art auction, featuring the works of stalwarts like Amrita Sher-Gil, SH Raza, MF Husain – for a noble cause. The charity dinner at the 115 Years Charity Gala to commemorate the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust, raised Rs 2.79 crore at the second auction of 25 art works from DAG’s collection, using art for social impact and philanthropy. Out of this amount, 40 per cent will be donated to the Taj Trust.
The phenomenal artwork of Sher-Gil and Hussain were the first ones to go under the hammer at Art from the Heart, at a price much higher than the one reserved during the preview. Sher-Gil’s Untitled graphite on paper sold at Rs 70 lakhs against the reserved price of Rs 60 lakhs.
Husain’s That Obscure Object of Desire – water colour, ink and graphite on paper, fetched Rs 22 lakhs, higher than the estimate of Rs 20 lakhs. Completing the list of top five were Untitled (Krishna with Gopis) by Jamini Roy, Bindu et Arbes by Raza (acrylic on terracotta) and Avinash Chandra’s Flowering.
The organisers, however, did not share the amount at which these three works were sold. Roy’s tempera on cardboard was reserved for Rs 12-18 lakhs, Raza’s was estimated at Rs 30-45 lakhs, and Chandra’s oil on canvas was for Rs 10-15 lakhs.
FN Souza, KH Ara, Sunil Das, GR Santosh, J. Sultan Ali, Natvar Bhavsar, Sakti Burman, Avinash Chandra, Krishna Reddy, Ved Nayar, Shobha Broota and P Khemraj were among the other artists featured at the auction.
The Taj Public Service Welfare Trust, meanwhile, will utilise the money collected at the charity dinner for various initiatives it has been undertaking since the body came into existence in the aftermath of 26/11 terror attacks.
Apart from providing relief to victims and families affected by the attack, the trust has extended support to those who have been hit by natural disasters, terror attacks, and other disasters, both man-made and natural.
Over the past one decade since the trust’s inception, more than 2,220 individuals, 9,739 families and six institutions have been among the beneficiaries.
According to the data available with the Taj group, they have assisted 260 persons from terror-affected families, through pensions, and medical and educational sponsorships.
As many as 225 disabled soldiers have been trained in vocational skills, in partnership with the Army Training Institute Queen Mary’s Technical Institute, in the last three years.
A total of 21,650 families have been provided relief and rehabilitation services during the Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala and Coorg Floods.
“We are extremely proud of carrying the flag of philanthropy high. It is a momentous occasion for the group this year because the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai completes 115 years of standing tall in the city’s skyline, and we are coming together for a generous cause,” said Samrat Datta, General Manager, Taj Palace, New Delhi.
Samrat Datta, GM, Taj Palace, New Delhi