Masterpieces by Indian modern artists to debut at AstaGuru’s September auction

This September a selection of iconic masterpieces by some of Indias most distinguished artists will go under the hammer at AstaGurus upcoming Modern Indian Art Online Auction The online auction will be held on September 89 2021 and includes works by modern masters such as M F Husain S H Raza Krishen Khanna Bhupen Khakhar F N Souza Anjolie Ela Menon K K Hebbar Ganesh Pyne and Jamini RoyThis wellcurated collection includes several important works from prolific periods in the artists careers many of which come from significant collections within India and abroadSpeaking about the collection Sneha Gautam Vice President Client Relations AstaGuru said The demand for modern Indian art has increased exponentially in the last year with the Indian art auction market having its strongest year ever The Indian auction market witnessed the highest turnover till date with the demand for the Moderns increasing by over 65 per cent from the previous financial year This further substantiates the great potential in the Indian art market and while seasoned collectors continue to expand and enrich their collections new bidders are constantly seeking to acquire works at every price point This has inspired AstaGuru to curate an auction that presents the best that modern Indian art has to offer at varied price points where budding collectors can acquire quality works to commence their journeys while at the same time allows seasoned buyers to acquire a masterpiece that defines Indian modernismMaking its auction debut and leading the sale is M F Husains oil on canvas work from the year 1972 a highly significant work originally from the Pitti family collection Throughout his career Husain formed strong relationships with several art connoisseurs and enjoyed the patronage of several collectors in India and abroad He developed a close bond with Pitti who commissioned several masterpieces from the artist Husain remained in close contact with Pitti for over three decades and even frequented his family property in Hyderabad where hed spend large amounts of time and even created several worksIn the presented offering Husain creates an iconic antiwar painting as a response to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 which resulted in the IndiaPakistan conflict The shrouded identities of the political masters can be deciphered as the primary adversaries Indira Gandhi the Indian Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Leader of West Pakistan and Mujibur Rahman Leader of Bangladesh Resistance Movement who later became the first Provisional President and the first elected Prime Minister of BangladeshThe diagonal figure rendered levitating almost suggesting a brooding sense of abandonment represents the war tone and wounded Indian subcontinent Through this rare and important work the artist showcases a rare glimpse into his political intellect yet he stays true to his fundamental approach towards creating art that of being a humanist Featured in the documentary A Painter of Our Time directed by Santi P Chaudhury the work indeed is an important creation from the masters oeuvre and will be offered for the first time at auction with an estimate of Rs 34 croreAmong the key highlights from the auction are extremely significant works from S H Razas illustrious career as one of the most important 20thcentury painters in Indias history These works celebrate Razas visual vocabulary and traverse his trajectory as a celebrated colourist from his preoccupation with expressionism in the early 1970s to his transformation in the latter half of the decade when he encompassed a new artistic direction exploring geometric forms and eventually mastering his Bindu series It is estimated at Rs 182 crore and will be offered at an auction for the very first timeManjit Bawa Flying 1978 an early composition by the artist will be appearing at auction after nearly 24 years at an estimate of Rs 6070 lakh It provides a glimpse into Bawas trajectory as an artist and acts as a precursor to several works he created with a similar central figureBhupen Khakhars Untitled 1994 Photo courtesyAstaGuruThe auction features a rare Untitled 1994 painted stoneware ceramic by acclaimed artist Bhupen Khakhar who is considered an iconoclast for expressing his views on important subject matter from social sectarianism to his own homosexuality This oneofakind composition by Khakhar was created in Amsterdam and is painted elaborately on all sides It will be offered for the first time at auctionJamini Roy Untitled circa 1950 is a unique and rare work which will appear at auction for the first time The works detailing and scale acclaims Jamini Roys stature of being one of Indias most important modern The auction will also feature an Untitled circa 1930 portrait from the limited oeuvre of Hemendranath Mazumdar who became one of the few Indian artists of the early 20th century to gain monetary as well as critical appreciation for this work It will make its debut at AstaGurus Modern Indian Art auction