Chahak Mittal walks into Sotheby’s India’s preview, Boundless: India, with deputy director Shivajirao Gaekwar and discovers that the art market is gradually finding its feet in the country
Painted in greens, blues and greys, bordered with bright red, Piraji Sagara’s wood texture-like artwork is what comes into view as one enters the Sotheby’s preview of an array of artworks and sculptures being displayed at The Leela Palace. The riverside cityscape features geometric forms of houses. Shivajirao Gaekwar, deputy director and specialist at Sotheby’s India, says that Sagara’s works are known for their rich texture, which is his trademark. Priced at Rs15,00,000, Gaekwar adds, “He is a special artist because a lot of his work revolves around wood. He comes from a family of carpenters. This work has mixed media on board.”
On its left is Nasreen Mohamedi’s Untitled ink on paper artwork, priced from Rs30,00,000 to Rs40,00,000. The work features an array of triangular shapes and lines, which have an ethereal quality to them. A few viewers beside me describe it thus, “The comprehension of space in the drawing is daring.” “It’s amazing how neatly it is drawn.” “It’s impeccable.” The lines and larger triangles are crisscrossed with smaller triangles, made in varying tones. The changing of ink tone has been used to differentiate the triangles, which, the artist had claimed, is reminiscent of both East Asian and Islamic calligraphy. The smaller triangles are placed symmetrically, on top of each other, in a way that they create shadows, which look like the ones reflected on an empty channel of water in Fatehpur Sikri.
The next one that grabs the attention is The Last Supper by FN Souza. Most remembered for his compelling paintings of Christ and the power of erotically charged nudes, still life and landscapes, this painting combined printed imagery with drawing and painting. Gaekwar tells us, “The east, the west, the spiritual and the physical fuse together in this work,” very well giving credence to his philosophy, ‘whole meaning of life is life itself!’ The painting features the figure of Christ in the centre, which is projected to be a self-portrait of the artist, surrounded by 12 alien-like figures that depict the Apostles. The most striking parts of this work are its bright colours, 3D texture and the fact that while some figures wear cassocks, there are six figures which are dressed in modern-day suit and tie, taking one back to his 1955 work, Six Gentlemen of Our Times.
With the price starting from Rs3,50,00,000 to Rs5,00,00,000, it is one of the most expensive works to go under the hammer at this exhibition. However, Gaekwar averts and points out that it isn’t as high as compared to what it would have fetched had it been auctioned in the Western market. “As compared to the Western market, it is not that highly priced. Even when you open the catalogue, the cheapest price you’ll find there is $600. So rather than calling it expensive, I would say that it is very well-priced given its size and its label, which is quite huge,” adds he.
So what is the reserve pricing criteria for these works? “The paintings and sculptures hail from a particular time and the textures, fabrics and designs are very much reminiscent of it. The works are evaluated according to a process. It is decided by how much the sellers are willing to sell them at and how much, we, as auction-holders, are willing to sell them for,” says Gaekwar.
Yamini Mehta, deputy chairman of Indian and South Asian Art, Sotheby’s, adds, “It also depends on who are the artists, the quality of the work and age. It is a combination of various things. Even it is a small piece, it could be priced very high if the quality is good. It also depends on which collection it is coming from.”
Talking about the theme, Boundless: India, Gaekwar tells us why it is centred around India and its heritage this time. He says, “These works narrate the various, multi-faceted stories of contemporary Indian artists. It covers many aspects — designs, popular culture, sculpture, ceramics, wood, paintings, mixed media on canvas and natural shades. Our aim is to just highlight this sophistication. This is important for the Indian art market.”
As we move towards the next pavilion, we come across Bhupen Khakar’s Preparatory Study for The Celebration of Guru Jayanti, priced at Rs20,00,000 to Rs30,00,000. The sepia-tinted drawing has a number of figures, including a couple, about to be married, in a porch fenced with flowers. A group of musicians and cooks can be seen in the distance. However, the eye settles on a bespectacled man in a white kurta-pyjama, which viewers say is the artist himself. Interestingly, the work is only a preparatory study and the final painting is a lot different yet similar to its initial composition. Both the works depict the demarcated scenes of human activity, separated by wide areas of flat space, against the backdrop of a cityscape. Timothy Hyman, Chemould Publications, had said, “It wasn’t the isolated protagonist” or the man in white kurta-pyjama, “but the ‘inconsequential’ crowd that was the real concern.”
Next up is Sotheby’s star attraction, the most expensive of the lot — Vasudeo S Gaitonde’s Untitled. ‘Estimate On Request,’ reads its label. Gaekwar informs us that it is predicted to begin at Rs21,00,00,000. There are five orbs suspended in space which appear to be planets. The abstract work can be read within those spaces as the canvas is divided into swathes of gold and bronze which are reminiscent of the horizon. “This painting’s rich story is deeply intertwined with artistic, architectural and scientific modernity in India,” says Gaekwar.
As per a report of 2017, the size of the Indian art market equalled to Rs1,460 crore. However, Gaekwar says that with artists and works like these, the market is certainly growing. “The Westernists and impressionists have been connecting the dots since time immemorial. India is still an emerging market and it will take time to reach that place. But they are still at a very strong position,” he adds.
Even the response is “great” this time, says Gaekwar as he looks at the audience around and commends the number of buyers. He adds “Crowd doesn’t necessarily mean sales. But there are buyers here despite pollution taking over the city these days. (Laughs) This does mean something!”
(The auction is on November 15 in Mumbai.)
