The names of Kito De Boer and his wife Jane Gowers are as revered in the art world as some of the artists whose works are in their 25-year-old personal collection. Indeed, ‘The Jane and Kito de Boer Collection’ is considered iconic, and was the subject of much hush-hush discussion at a special preview held alongside the India Art Fair in New Delhi, earlier this year.
Jane and Kito travelled to India from London in 1992, starting off by visiting places like Hampi in South India. “Our road to discovery was really through the arts, and from 1992 to 1999, we started looking at Indian art and galleries,” said Kito in an interview, ahead of the preview.
Jane recalls, “The first work we bought is Bengali artist Ganesh Pyne from the Kumar Gallery (in New Delhi). I wanted to see more of his works... So I found out about who the collectors were of Payne, and then asked if I could visit their collections. The response was unanimously warm and positive.”
Now, more than 150 works of Indian art from the prestigious collection of Jane and Kito de Boer, are set to be up for bids in what is the most highly anticipated auction of modern and contemporary Indian art this year.
The sale will be held during New York’s annual Asian Art Week this month, and is being billed as ‘The largest and most important single-owner sale of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art that Christie’s has had the pleasure to announce in this field in the last few years’.
We got to chat with Sonal Singh, MD of Christie’s India, to get a sense of all the excitement. Excerpts:
How vital is this collection, from a Christie’s perspective of South Asian contemporary art?
The de Boer collection of Indian art was put together over the last two-and-a-half decades, and is still growing. Comprising over 1,000 works, this collection presents a great opportunity for collectors to learn more about modern Indian art, particularly about the artists that Jane and Kito de Boer collected in depth like Ganesh Pyne, Rameshwar Broota, Chittaprosad Bhattacharya and Francis Newton Souza.
How would you compare the personal sense of passion for art of Jane and Kito de Boer with other collectors that you are familiar with from South Asia?
Most collectors of South Asian Modern + Contemporary art that we know share the de Boer’s passion for art and collecting. They are discerning and seek to learn as much as they can about the art and artists they like before making the decision to purchase a work. As a couple, Jane and Kito had to agree on the art they saw – it was essential for both of them to love a work before they bought it as both of them would be living with it. They have frequently said the artworks in their collection are like friends that live with them, and it is important for both of them to enjoy the company of these friends.
Name some of your top picks from the auction.
Some of the highlights include works on paper and canvas by Ganesh Pyne, ranging from the 1950s to the late 1990s, and an equally impressive selection of paintings by Rameshwar Broota. The cover lot, a rare 1972 painting by Pyne called The Animal would be a great addition to any collection of modern Indian art. Similarly, collectors will not have a better opportunity to acquire some of the greatest examples of artworks from Bengal School, ranging from early paintings from the late 19th century to works by Gaganendranath Tagore, Prosanto Roy, Rama Mukherji, Ramkinkar Baij, Benode Behari Muhkerji, Somnath Hore, Chittaprosad Bhattacharya, Rabin Mondal, Prokash Karmakar and others.
‘A Lasting Engagement: The Jane and Kito de Boer Collection’: Live auction on March 18, and online sale of additional works, March 13-20.