Arvind Vijaymohan's Art Blog

Tyeb Mehta (1925 - 2009)

2009-07-03T06:41:00.001-07:00

Tyeb Mehta passed away last week. It is unfortunate that little more than blurbs were dedicated to a man who was inarguably amongst India’s most powerful artists. Not surprisingly though, far greater column-space and airtime with gushing reportage was dedicated to his name when his works created records in auctions over the years.

Looking at the larger picture, his contribution to Indian art is indelible and he will remain a strong source of inspiration for generations of artists and art-lovers to follow.

And his name will be in print frequently: auction records will continue to fall.

I would appreciate it much if all the readers of this post would keep Tyebji in their thoughts and prayers today – a small tribute to a generous and humble human being. And a legendary artist.

I have posted a selection of some of my favourite canvases painted over the last 5 decades. These have been placed chronologically beginning with the 60's and cover his selection of enduring motifs: the falling figure, the trussed bull, the diagonal series, the rickshaw puller and the mythological figures like Kali and Mahishasura. These works offer us a view of his practice, particularly his minimal yet compellingly potent handling of line and form as it evolved.

1960s

Untitled / Oil on board / 47 x 71 inches
featured in the Christie's Indian and southeast Asian art sale, 17 Oct 2001, NY

1960s

Untitled / Oil on canvas / 49¼ x 37 1/8 inches
Featured in the Christie's Indian and southeast Asian art sale, 25 March 2004, NY

c. 1961

Rickshaw Puller / Oil on canvas / 60 x 40 inches
Featured in the Christie's Indian and southeast Asian art sale, 23 Sept. 2004, NY

c. 1972

Diagonal Series / oil on canvas / 35 x 45 inches
Featured in the Christie's Twentieth century Indian art sale, 5 Oct. 1999, London

c. 1974

Untitled / oil on canvas / 58 x 49 inches
Featured in the Christie's southeast Asian sale, 6 July 2003, HK

c. 1976

Diagonal Series / oil on canvas / 44 x 35 inches
Featured in the Christie's twentieth century Indian art sale, 5 Oct 1999, London

c. 1977

Gesture / oil on canvas / 58 x 46 inches
Featured in the Christie's twentieth century Indian art sale, 5 Oct 1999, London

c. 1977

Gesture - III / Oil on canvas / 59 x 47 inches
Featured in the Christie's Indian and southeast Asian sale, 20 Sept 2000, NY

c. 1981

Untitled / oil on canvas / 59 x 47 inches
Featured in the south Asian modern + contemporary art sale, 20 March 2008, NY

c. 1984

Untitled (Figure on Rickshaw) / oil on canvas / 59 x 47 inches
Featured in the Christie's S. Asian modern + cont. art sale, 11 June 2008, London

c. 1984

Untitled (Figures with Bull Head) / oil on canvas /59 x 41 inches
Featured in the Christie's modern and contemporary Indian art sale, 20 Sept. 2006, NY

c. 1984

Woman on rickshaw / oil on canvas / 59.1 x 47.2 inches
from the Glenbarra Art Museum collection, Japan

c. 1987

Drummer / Acrylic on canvas / 45 x 35 inches
Featured in the Christie's Indian and southeast Asian art sale, 25 March 2004, NY

c. 1994

Mahishasura / Acrylic on canvas / 59 x 47 inches
Featured in the Indian and southeast Asian art sale, 19 September 2002, NY

c. 1995

Celebration / Acrylic on canvas / 94 x 202 inches
Featured in the Christie's Indian and southeast asian art sale, 19 September 2002, NY

c. 1995

Mahisasura / acrylic on canvas / 150 cm x 120 cm

from the Glenbarra Museum collection, Glenbarra, Japan

c. 1996

Mahishasura / acrylic on canvas / 59 x 47 inches
Featured in the south Asian modern + contemporary art sale, 20 September 2007, NY

c. 1997

Mahisasura / Acrylic on canvas / 59 x 47 inches

Featured in the Indian and southeast Asian art sale, 21 September 2005, NY

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Images courtesy
The Glenbarra Art Museum collection, Japan http://www.glenbarra.com/
Christie's http://www.christies.com/
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Arvind Vijaymohan heads the Japa Arts Advisory, which offers specialised consultancy services to collectors of Indian art. / www.japaarts.in /

The Summer Auctions - II

2009-05-25T07:12:00.001-07:00

This has been a busy week with tons of paperwork, meetings and one very interesting viewing. Exhausted might partially sum up the current state of being. But balm is round the bend: Am packing my bags for Venice which is the stunning setting for La Biennale di Venezia, the 53rd chapter of the Venice Biennale, followed by a visit to the biggest annual art event, the 40th edition of Art Basel. I round up my tour with a visit to a collector friend's estate in France. Will keep you updated on the happenings on my side of the planet.

Auctions are a fascinating turf. One can always expect the unexpected and in most cases, be prepared for the predictable. This auction season is moving in a far more optimistic gear than expected, though the Indian sales are slightly slow off the start. Best to focus on the upcoming sales. The next in line are the Christie's and Saffronart summer sales. I have listed some of the lots from these auctions which are collectable in nature.

Please note, that my company may (or not) have a direct (or indirect) bidding interest in any or all of the discussed works. It is strongly suggested that you conduct an independent analysis and condition study if interested in acquiring any of the following listings.

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Christie's South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art
June 10 / South Kensington, London

Lot 15
Syed Haider Raza (b. 1922)
La Terre
Signed and dated 'RAZA '81' (lower right)
Acrylic on canvas
31¼ x 31¼ in
Painted in 1981
Estimate £60,000 - £80,000

La Terre is a strong representation of the shift of Raza's practice during the 80s towards a more structured, geometric representation of his enduring subject: Nature. The upper-most portion of the canvas offers the viewer a glimpse of the direction the master will take over the two decades to follow ('80 - '90s) while the lower half is remains firmly rooted in the pure abstract.

Interestingly, Raza's current auction record is for an earlier canvas with the same title, La Terre. A stunning abstract from 1973 which was sold by Christie's in 2008 - click here to read an older post about this work.

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Lot 60

Jagdish Swaminathan (1928-1994)

Untitled

Signed and dated in Hindi

Oil on canvas

43¼ x 29 1/8 in

Painted in 1983

Estimate £40,000 - £50,000

Though there have been stronger representations of the 'Bird and Mountain' subject in the sales before, I would recommend this lot as it remains a prudent selection from the series. This lot presents a rich palette, acceptable estimates and an excellent dimension (though this is a popular format which has appeared in auctions on a number of occasions).
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Lot 63

Maqbool Fida Husain (b. 1915)

Ragamala Series

Signed and dated 'Husain 1960' (upper right)

Oil on canvas

34 5/8 x 75 in

Painted in 1960

Estimate £400,000 - £600,000

This is the sort of work which should be found in an auction to make the sale exceptional. From amongst Husain's finest early subjects, the Ragamala series is extremely collectable for all the expected reasons - subject, period and dimension. Additionally, this lot suitably showcases Husain's compositional mastery melded with an interestingly unexpected palette.
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Lot 91

Rameshwar Broota (b. 1941)
Untitled
Signed and dated 'R. Broota RAMESHWAR BROOTA 2000 Sep.'
Oil on canvas scraped with blade
60 x 26 in

Executed in 2000
Estimate £30,000 - £50,000

A more recent lot, this work presents an interesting perspective due to its dimension. Broota brilliantly juxtaposes the natural contours of the silhouette of the male torso against the rigid, angular bars: both stark but for different reasons. The lot has an acceptable presale and would make an excellent addition to a contemporary collection.

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Saffronart Modern and Contemporary Indian art

Summer Online Auction / June 10-11, 2009

Lot 46

Bhupen Khakhar

Untitled

1990

Watercolor on paper

37 x 39

Signed and dated in Gujarati

Estimate Rs 8,00,000 - 10,00,000

This is a hard-to-source dimension for a paperwork by Bhupen which combines in detail, a number of recurring motifs from his practice. An excellent lot which deserves bidding action.
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Lot 25

Ashim Purkayashta

Face to Face

Mixed media on canvas

71.5 x 53.5 in

Estimate Rs 14,10,000 - 18,80,000

I have listed my thoughts on Ashim's stance in my previous post and spoken about his usage of elements like the revenue stamp to mock and displace the power of the authorities. A well-represented canvas which would be regarded as an important work in the years to follow.
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In the concluding summer auction post, I will discuss the Sotheby's sale. Stay tuned! Given my current co-ordinates, will sign off à la Mastroianni: Ciao :)
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Images courtesy

http://www.christies.com/

http://www.saffronart.com/

Links www.labiennale.org/en/ // www.artbasel.com/

The Summer Auctions: Part I

2009-05-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Just back from an interesting week in Hong Kong. The main event was Art HK 09 which for a second chapter was excellent: 110 galleries from 24 countries with an excellent mix of the community in tow. Great job, Magnus and team! With the whole doomsday squalor hanging over the market, many were unsure about what to expect but if the turnout and sales are anything to go by, I would say we are settling in a bit. There is little doubt that a number of the lesser fairs will be winding up operations this year and this trend will continue for the next 2-3 years. Regarding the general market mood, all eyes are on Art Basel: Stay tuned.

An observation I would like to share: I spent a day with a HK-based collector who has over the last 4 years acquired some interesting contemporary objects, for which my company is conducting a prelim appraisal study. He, I can say without much hesitation started as a pure investor with little much on his mind beyond the capital at play. Even in the current scenario, two of his works would safely fetch a tidy “ROI’” which I mentioned to him. “Don’t think I can move these…too much of me in them now...” This statement made me smile - and it gives me hope. The manner in which art can lightstep and silently slide into one's senses is incredible.

Now to the auction reading: Let me begin by giving context to the market with some figures. The contemporary Spring sales managed to notch strong numbers but the sum of the sales were far lesser than the achieved total last year (consider Christie's 93.7 million US which was less than one-third the figure clocked last year). On the flip side, with this year's more concentrated sales, Christie's managed to auction more than half of its lots (over 30 of the 54 lots) for above US 1 million each while Sotheby’s managed to set three world auction records. Interesting times, indeed!

On the Indian auction front, we are gearing up for 4 auctions over the approaching 3 weeks with some collectable lots on offer. I will cover the sales in three parts, using chronological order for listing. Amongst the sales guides, the most interesting is the Sotheby's catalogue with an array of modernists and contemporaries (though as always - and this is true of all the auction houses, there are a number of names who do not belong in the sales....not for a couple of years, at least).

Regarding the selection, I have listed works which strike some balance on various grades including quality, the availability factor, suggested estimates, prior auction history and provenance amongst others.

London / May 25, 2009
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Lot 1145
ATUL DODIYA
(b. 1959)
Sabari Sleeping with the Stars
Mixed media
65 7/8 x 52 1/8 in
Edition 3/12
Executed in 2005
Estimate $5,185 - $7,777

Dodiya is India’s most progressive contemporary...always ahead of time and trend. This editioned piece enables one to collect an interesting large-scale work of his, which would be a excellent acquisition especially at an early estimate.
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Lot 1149
ATUL BHALLA (b. 1964)
Piaus - II
signed in Hindi (lower right)
sixteen digital prints on archival paper
40.6 x 30.5 cm. (16 x 12 in.) x 16 pieces
edition 3/5
Executed in 2008
Estimate $7,777 - $10,369

Water and its usage (and misuse) is a global concern and this element has been enduring motif in Atul's practice. This series captures piaus, our traditional watering-holes which normally do not catch a second glance, as a representational motif of life in India's semi-urban quarters.
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Lot 1085
ASHIM PURKAYASTHA (b. 1967)
Butterfly MAN; Nude Female
acrylic and ink on postage stamps
10 x 9 in; 14 1/2 x 19 1/2 in
2004 & 2005-2006
Estimate $7,777 - $10,369

Purkayastha's stamp works though quirky, even humorous at outset are powerful anti-establishment statements, which voice strong opinion against the prevalent and accepted. The revenue stamp: at once a symbol of guarantee and authority is reworked and given a fresh identity by the artist, with his own indelible markings, thus effectively mocking the powers-that-be.
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In part II, I will discuss the June sales: Saffronart and Christie's. In the meanwhile, am getting ready for the La Biennale di Venezia which kicks off the 5th of June and the 40th edition of Art Basel which opens on the 9th.

Images courtesy http://www.christies.com/
Links www.labiennale.org/en/ // www.artbasel.com/

© AVM

The Ten Most Iconic Indian Works of Art

2009-05-04T00:22:00.000-07:00

/PRE-POST NOTE/ The following post originally appeared in the Business Standard weekend supplement under the heading 'The arts fraternity picks its most Iconic works'. The featured members of the fraternity included Arun Vadehra of Vadehra Art Gallery, Neville Tuli of Osians, NGMA's Rajeev Lochan, Ashish Anand of Delhi Art Gallery, Saffronart's Dinesh Vazirani and Me: Japa Arts. This piece was featured along side the lead story titled 'India's most iconic works of art' by Kishore Singh which addressed this highly engaging and equally debatable question.

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To compile a list of the 'finest' in any category is a tall order. In the case of art, it borders on the impossible. There will always be debate about which works make the cut and how some just do not fit into a top list. In order to fulfill this overwhelming task, I listed the names of the works of art from the top of my head, as they came along - this took me about under a minute. The methodology used, therefore is simple: Top-of-mind recall.

Untitled by V S Gaitonde
Gaitonde is amongst the most powerful artists to have lived and this particular work is probably the master’s finest. With its complex multilayered forms and rich earthy palette, this work offers the viewer a portal to an undiscovered ethereal spiritual realm – ever-expanding in depth and impossible to fully unravel.

Work information
V S Gaitonde (1924-2001)
Untitled # c. 1975 # Signed and dated in English and Hindi on reverse: V.S. GAITONDE 1975
Oil and mixed media on canvas # 70 1/8 x 42½ in.
Appeared in the Christie’s Modern and contemporary Indian art sale on 30/03/06
Sold for USD 1,472,000

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Very Hungry God by Subodh Gupta
Created in reaction to reports that French soup-kitchens were using pork as an ingredient to deter Muslims from partaking in the meals, Very Hungry God was a break-through piece. Though Gupta had created powerful work prior to this object, Very Hungry God turned the world’s attention in his direction. The sight of this stunning object displayed in the Eglise Saint-Bernard de la Chapelle et Square Saint-Bernard in Barbes, Paris during the Nuit Blanche (an annual all-night cultural festival) is unforgettable. This work was seared permanently in our collective memories following its placement on the Grand Canal in front of super-collector François Pinault’s Palazzo Grassi during the Venice Biennale.

Work information
Subodh Gupta (1964)
Very Hungry God # c. 2006 # Stainless steel kitchen utensils # app. 1000 kilograms
The François Pinault Collection
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Three Girls by Amrita Sher-Gil
Though I believe every work created by Sher-Gil is a gem, Three Girls is particularly special as it belongs to a period and body which mark a discovery of her own painterly expression - a shift from the trained to a personal language. The demeanor of resignation and the repressed expressions of her subjects are captured in a remarkably touching and sensitive manner.

Work information
Amrita Sher-Gil (1913 - 41)
# Three Girls # c. 1935 # Oil on canvas
The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi Collection
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Mahishasura by Tyeb Mehta
Mahishasura garnered tremendous attention, courtesy the record winning bid for an Indian artwork in auction at the time. In this work, Mehta’s signature taut, measured lines and unconventionally balanced palette depict the slaying of the buffalo demon Mahisa by Goddess Durga.

Work information
Tyeb Mehta (1925)

# Mahisasura # c. 1997 # Signed, titled and dated on reverse: TYEB 97 'MAHISASURA' Acrylic on canvas;
Signed, dated and inscribed on stretcher # Acrylic on canvas # 59 x 47¼ in
The Rajiv Chaudhuri collection
Appeared in the Indian and southeast Asian art held on 21/09/05 at NY
Sold for USD 1,584,000

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You can't please them all by Bhupen Khakhar
Amongst India’s finest and most sensitive artists, Khakhar’s You can’t please them all was a monumental statement, offering an autobiographical insight for the viewer into his life. Though there was a tendency to slot his works into the stereotypical ‘homosexual’ category, his practice combined irreverence with a rare honesty which gave his works a powerful and contemporary edge.

Work Information
Bhupen Khakhar (1934 - 2003)
You can't please them all # c. 1982 # Oil on canvas # 69" x 69"
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Bombay Buccaneer by Atul dodiya
Dodiya is amongst the leading artists who heralded the contemporary Indian art movement – not following trends but finding their own voice and expression. His work is rooted and affected by events. Bombay Buccaneer was a result of introspection and questioning the validity of his own practice.

Work Information
Atul Dodiya (1959)
The Bombay Buccaneer # c. 1994 # Oil, acrylic and wood on canvas
The Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, PEM
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Battle of Ganga and Jamuna: Mahabharata 12 by M F Husain
This seminal work was part of a body of 29 canvases exhibited at the 11th Bienal de Sao Paulo. It marked Husain’s first interpretation of the Mahabharata which he revisited again in 1983 & ‘90. This particular title was the cover lot in the historic Herwitz Collection sale of c. 2000 conducted by Sotheby’s.

Work information
Maqbool Fida Husain (1915)
Battle of Ganga and Jamuna: Mahabharata 12 # c. 1971
Signed 'Husain 72½'; signed again in Hindi (lower left); signed 'Husain 72½'; signed again in Hindi
Oil on canvas - diptych # 74¾ x 107¾ in
Originally from The Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection.
Appeared in the Sotheby's South Asian modern + contemporary art, 20/03/08
Sold for USD 1,609,000
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Titian’s Grandfather by F N Souza
A brilliant draughtsman, Souza’s portraits of the powerful are in my estimate the most collectable from amongst his preferred subjects. They powerfully rendered the hypocrisy and duality of the elite – expensive dressage which does little to conceal their wretched reality. Titian’s Grandfather is an epitome of Souza’s exceptional practice: brutal lines and demonized human studies.

Work information
Francis Newton Souza (1924 - 2002)
Titian`s Grandfather # c. 1955 # Oil on board # 48 x 41 in
Signed and dated in English (upper right and verso)
Appeared in the Saffronart Winter Auction 2007
Sold for USD 591,500
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The Petro Angel series by Riyas Komu
The Petro Angel series comprises 6 large-format canvases which were presented at the 52nd Venice Biennale. These works capture an Iranian actress (from ‘Circle’, directed by Jafar Panahi) in a pensive, contemplative mood. This body of work is a strong comment on the world and times we live in. The female protagonist faces multiple hardships and a defined dual-challenge: that of being a woman in an Islamic nation; which is ravaged by internal strife and turmoil.

Work information
Riyas Komu (1971)
Designated March by a "Petro Angel" # c. 2006 # Oil on canvas
6 panels, 70.9 x 70.9 in. each
Displayed at the Arsenale at the 52nd Venice Biennale.
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The Universal recipient series by Jitish kallat
This series by Kallat, who is amongst the most prodigious contemporaries present the portraits of Indian men, which carry a potent duality. His subject is the everyman whose drab existence you can read off his appearance yet the presentation is bright and celebratory in tone. A powerful body of work, these along with a selection of installations and paperwork were part of his first solo exhibition with the Haunch of Venison in Zurich in 2008.

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Text courtesy: Kishore Singh for Business Standard / http://www.business-standard.com/
Images courtesy: The artists and respective current owners

Links to original material
India's most iconic works of art by Kishore Singh http://tinyurl.com/ohx8uh

The arts fraternity picks its most Iconic works http://tinyurl.com/d6hjqm

Roerich Record

2009-04-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

In the midst of the Russian art week, the Christie's Russian sale held on April 24 at their New York salesroom raised USD 13.2 million (a whisker above the higher estimate) for 269 sold lots which included a mix of icons, Fabergé, cloisonné and guilloché. With the number of oil-rich, homegrown Russian billionaires lesser by more than one-third, the sale estimates were conservative, clearly reduced from the 2008 year-end sale season.

Of interest were 5 lots by the Roerichs - 4 works by the artist and philosopher Nicholas Roerich (1874 - 1947) and a single by his youngest son, Svetoslav Roerich (1904 - 1993). The highlight amongst these (and the collective sale as well) was the intensely bid-upon canvas by Svetoslav which achieved his world auction highest at USD 2.99 million (well above double the pre-sale tag of USD 1.1 mill). Interestingly, the previous auction best for Roerich jr. had been clocked only 2 days earlier at the Sotheby’s Russian sale at a far lighter figure of USD 266,500. Clearly, the recessionary times and shrinking fortunes (the 100 richest Russians have lost over 70% of their wealth post-meltdown) had little impact on a far-sighted collecting plan.

Portrait of Nicholas Roerich in a Tibetan Robe Tempera on canvas 60 x 49 in c. 1933

The work titled Portrait of Nicholas Roerich in a Tibetan Robe from 1933 which was on view at the Nicholas Roerich Museum, NY for nearly two decades (on loan from the erstwhile owner) was acquired for a private Russian collection. This work is a stunning picture which presents the artist's seated father dressed in Tibetean finery against an imagined architectural backdrop. While Nicholas was known for his mountain-studies, Svetoslav was a celebrated portraitist. His subjects included his parents - Nicholas and Helena, his wife (the legendary actress Devika Rani) and a number of iconic Indian figures including Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru (the pictures are on display within the Central Parliament Hall, New Delhi)

Russians by birth, the Roerichs made India their home, with family estates in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. Roerich Sr. was an avid traveller and embarked on an epic Asian expedition in the 1920s which eventually ended in H.P. where he founded the the Himalayan Research Institute. He created over 7000 works during his lifetime, the most prized of which are mountainscapes, studies of the Himalayan peaks in particular. A large body of his work can be viewed at the Roerich Hall Estate in Nagar, Kulu Valley.

In other news of interest, if you happen to be in windy Frisco before end June, please visit the Ranjani Shettar show at SFMOMA which features her new sculptural installations. Till July07/09

For additional information on #, please click on the listed links
Nicholas Roerich http://tinyurl.com/dgfg3o
Svetoslav Roerich http://tinyurl.com/dgvm6v

The Christie's Russian Art Sale http://tinyurl.com/d22jsn
Image courtesy © Christie's

The Persol Art Project

2009-04-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

The famed Italian eyewear company, Persol has rested on the noses of celebrities, fictional and otherwise including George Clooney, the Terminator, Steve Mcqueen and most recently, Bond. James Bond. I fell in love with the signature silver arrow during my first viewing of La Dolce Vita and have owned one since. (FTR wearing it will not inch you within the vicinity of Mastroianni cool.)

The spiffy webface of the Persol project

Post-meander, time for the point: Luxury and art have been in a close can-can for the farthest throwback now. In keeping with tradition, the company has presented a project titled A Work of Persol within which 9 contemporary artists of varied artistic disciplines from around the globe have presented a work each. The project is an ode to the deeply personal process of artistic creation and the creative journey that is privy to a chosen few - rarely the audience in the gallery. The line-up includes a clutch of talent: the Brazilian Fefe Talavera (massive-format street-art), the German Tjorg Douglas Beer (installations which can sometimes pack a wham), Chinese photographer Danwen Xing and the collagist Francesca Gabbiani (incredibly meticulous process and richly detailed work).

What makes this project of interest is that the popular Indian contemporary duo, Thukral + Tagra are part of the line-up. To learn more about this project and hear the DoubleT talk about their observations, inspirations, practice and personal connect to their subjects, visit the project website at http://www.persol.com/aworkofpersol/

Trivia: Persol means 'For the Sun' in Italian'

Images and weblink courtesy: Persol / A Work of Persol

Links for 2009-04-16 [del.icio.us]

2009-04-17T00:00:00-07:00

Ranbir Kaleka Preview: Delhi
A quick read of art Ranbir Kaleka's solo show which is being exhibited at Nature Morte, Delhi for a week before moving to Bose Pacia, New York.

Ranbir Kaleka Preview: Delhi

2009-04-14T23:24:00.000-07:00

A show to catch in Delhi is Ranbir Kaleka's Reading Room at Nature Morte. There are 4 new works on view in the solo (a much-awaited showing after well over a decade) which closes on Saturday the 18th.

Itinerant Librarian's Dilemma of Choice and Refusal

c. 2009, Acrylic and oil on canvas with two wood wing-doors with acrylic mirrors

center image: 36 x 24 in side doors: 27 x 13 in. each

The works exhibit a blend of retrospect, deliverance, pain, liberation and whimsy against a phantasmagorical landscape. The protagonists in the larger works seem to be endowed with prestidigitatious talents and appear entirely capable of lofting unsuspecting viewers into the depicted Delphic panoramas. The works seem to lead the viewer on, inviting her/him to step into their large-scale bounds which are laden with deliciously unexpected (sometimes-wicked, always-interesting) elements, which might emerge as mnemonics of a fantastical bygone for some/many in the audience.

The work which held me in a state of thorough rapture is Ochre Dust in a Delusional Paradise. A few private minutes with this canvas should leave you suitably mesmerized.

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Reading Man
New works by Ranbir Kaleka
till April 18th 2009
Nature Morte
New Delhi
10.00 am - 6.00 pm
http://www.naturemorte.com/
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The show will open at Bose Pacia, New York on May 14th and continue till June 27th.

The National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi: The New Wing

2009-03-31T04:09:00.000-07:00

The role played by museums, especially in a land as artistically rich as India can be tremendous. The unveiling on the New Wing of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in New Delhi is certainly a spot of wonderful news. This added space translates to a vast platform which will showcase one the finest Indian pre-independent & modern art collections in the world.

The facade of the New Wing is an excellent complement to the original Art-Deco building

The prime location of the NGMA in the heart of Delhi, literally in the shadow of India Gate, would certainly place it in the running for the best located museum lots in any cosmopolitan worldwide. Jaipur House, the erstwhile palace of Maharaja Jaipur which has served as the original premises for the NGMA since 1954 is a stunning architectural statement. The New Wing is a wonderful complement to the original heritage building: the exterior serves as an exceptional extension with a similar pink and red sandstone facade, while the architectural lines provide a modern counterpart to the imposing Art-Deco original. The expansion with the New Wing includes three new blocks, which collectively add nearly six times the space to the existing confines within Jaipur House. The newly-added blocks house permanent gallery exhibit zones, temporary exhibition spaces, a new auditorium, a preview theatre, conservation laboratory, library and academic section as well as a cafeteria and museum shop.

A view of the floor-sections of the New Wing, NGMA

On stepping inside, a naysayer might point your view in the directions of the overbearing dressage of space, harsh lighting on the pictures, obtrusive dangling wires, mismatched ceiling heights et al, drawing comparisons in presentation standards with western counterparts. This concern for comparison might actually be unfair. I know we are global citizens and have every right to have a world-class museum within driving distance but I would much rather shower thanks for the fact that we, at the very least have a space to showcase a portion of the NGMA collection. Had it not been for the New Wing, the stored gems would been in a ménage à trois with dank dust and fungal mold.

Therefore, I suggest you hush all other sensations once inside the building and concentrate only on the art. The vast treasury of pre-independent and modern Indian art on view within these walls is unparalleled. From rare town-study canvases by the Daniells, legendary portraits by Raja Ravi Verma, Amrita Shergil masterpieces, to prized creations by our finest Modernists - Tyeb, Husain, Souza, Ramachandran to name but a few, the NGMA houses it all.

A view of the Nandlal Bose retrospective

Two shows are on view which opened to mark the unveiling of the New Wing. The first is a Nandlal Bose retrospective titled 'Rhythms of India: The Art of Nandalal Bose', which presents 85 works by the master. This show traveled through the United States of America receiving wide acclaim, first opening at the San Diego Museum of Art and thereafter at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Bose’s (1882 - 1966) exemplary practice, ranging across varied media, is of immense importance as it records and marks India’s independence struggle and her subsequent, monumental shift from a colonial parcel to a democratic nation. The early works are an absolute treat to the senses: powerful lines and a soft palette, further mellowed by his wash-technique.

A bronze sculptural installation which includes a self-study of the artist, A. Ramachandran (centre)

The second exhibit titled ‘…in the seeds of time’ covers the trajectory of Indian art over the years spanning the decades from the British occupation of our country right up to the trends of the 21st century. The pieces presented here capture the passage of time in a manner capable only by art, baring sublime as well as obvious social, economic and political strains.

Looking ahead, the future of the programming at the NGMA might just be a little more exciting now. The New Wing ushers promise of larger-scale exchanges with international museums. There is talk about an Anish Kapoor installation sometime in the future. The mind naturally races to Marsyas, the massive piece from 2002 which loomed above the voluminous Turbine Hall at the Tate. Will the New Wing house a similarly celebrated creation sometime in the near future. The Indian bureaucratic machinery notwithstanding, I most certainly would hope so!

NGMA New Delhi is closed on Mondays. Timings: 10.00 am to 6.00 pm
------

Damien Hirst + Levi Strauss

2009-02-24T03:27:00.000-08:00

I am re-reading Catch-22 right now. It just has to be one of the funniest books ever written. Which brings me to the latest news: Levi Strauss & Co. has finally launched their hyped Damien Hirst collaborative which features his work on their clothing in stores in India. (Only the slim-fit jeans are on shelves as time of this post). The series has been launched under the tag: 'Damien Hirst x Levi’s x Warhol Factory Collection' and features the signature elements from Hirst’s lexicon including skulls, dots, butterflies on an array of items from your closet. The line was unveiled in Spring 2008 amid the expected fanfare, catwalk and all, gigantic spin paintings plastered as backdrops at Gagosian’s with the jet-set crew in attendance.

the said artefact

Now the relevance of Heller's Catch-22: I am a chronic memorabilia/official merchandise collector. And a hoarder of such as well. I would never been seen in public in one of those jeans. I think they look plain unwearable to me; am your regular Diesel-type guy but just the thought of letting one of those limited edition pieces slip is keeping me up at night. I do not have official word on this but apparently only 120 of these threads have made it to the country. Priced at (a watered-down) 8,500 bucks, the DH factory would like you to know that this is a steal. Now, should I pick a pair and dump in the closet - be done with it? Or should I just let it be? Let me ask my bedside guard: a limited edition Haring Andy Mouse.

The Damien Hirst Denim Delight (not.the.retail.tag) Available at select Levi Strauss stores across the country.

For really incredible street art, check out Edgar Mueller's work - mind.boggling www.geekologie.com/2009/02/end_of_the_world_perspective_s.php

State of Mind

2009-02-19T06:47:00.000-08:00

If in Delhi, stop by Anant Art Gallery to catch Subba Ghosh’s exhibition of recent works, State of Mind. Returning with a solo after nearly 7 years, Subba brings out the whole arsenal - works on canvas, mixed media pieces, sculpture and video. The artist is a skilled draughtsman and his works provide an ample landscape to showcase the power of his hand. This skill was honed and polished in art-colleges over 3 continents, the last being the prestigous Slade School in London where he completed a masters programme in '96.

Stop for cheeking (Checking) / 66.5 x 24 x 12.5 inches / Mixed media pasted on MDF

The content of this exhibition will take the viewer through a wide gamut of emotions. The show features a series of mixed-media works which expose, with suitable deadpan, the unintentional humour in the existence of the blue-collar drudgers. These characters represent the teeming migrant labour-class, whose individual diddly-squat existence ironically adds up to mark a measurable shift in India’s political, social and economic schema.

installed view of Within Darkness / video work / 3 minutes 16 seconds /ed of 15

Of the video works on view, I must highlight two. The work titled No evil was a shot of potent-disturbia…a strong, pertinent message delivered in a simple, effective package. The second piece titled Within Darkness features a slow-reel of detailed, hand-drawn illustrations which unfold to the silken tones of Nat King Cole's voice. No spoilers here: please visit the show and view these works to learn more.

Within Darkness / 80 x 108 inches / Acrylic on canvas

The strongest works are the large-format canvases which present unsettling images of the battered common-man, beaten down by the state machinery in an all-too-familiar manner, most likely for an inconsequential cause.

STATE OF MIND

Recent Works by Subba Ghosh

Anant Art Gallery
F213 B, Lado Sarai,
New Delhi - 110030
+91-11-41554775
http://anantart.com/

11 Am - 7 PM
Closed on Sundays and public holidays
This show is on view till 06.03.09

A note on the show

This recent body of work by Subba Ghosh, comprising of billboard paintings, installations and video works, offers a critique of coercive, administrative apparatuses that the state uses to produce the conformist citizen. Fashioned by the political imagination of state elites and based on the exclusionary logic of a national identity, premised on the idea of boundaries, the citizen is thus denied the opportunity of a subjective presence in determining the possibilities of human relationships across borders.

Prisoner - I / 57 x 43 inches / Charcoal on Paper

Subba Ghosh, whose visual language was shaped by Soviet Realism during his three years at the Surikov Institute of Fine Art in the glasnost of late1980, and the Slade School of Art from 1996-97, however overwrites its sentimentality to fashion a personal idiom that is unflinching in its critique of authoritarian rule. Drawing upon visual references of signboards, hoardings and banners, he shows how spaces of consensual transactions that result in social relations are often erased by the manipulation of fear and insecurity to buttress totalitarian attitudes of an unresponsive state.

'Note on the show' text + image courtesy: http://www.anantart.com/

The next post covers the upcoming auctions - interesting!
© AVM

The February Art Auctions - Part II

2009-02-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

To begin with, many thanks for all your thoughts regarding the recent entries. Yes, I firmly resolve to remain active with the posts and consolidated apologies for the disappearing act. If I have not been able to respond to your thoughts personally, it is because of an extremely hectic schedule which has been frightfully hard to juggle. The approaching week is likely to be an interesting one and I will have more information in a post to follow!

Moving forward with the remaining series of February auctions. The only Indian lot to be featured since the last post was Bharti Kher’s Mimic, a 48 x 48 inch bindi on steel-board work which made GBP 61,250. Unlike all bindi-works featured in sales up till now which were at extreme opposite-ends (very large or small), this piece was just the right dimension for a private space.

Speaking of large-scale objects, the Phillips de Pury Contemporary evening sale in London on 12th of February features 3 works of direct interest. A quick read:

LOT 42
THUKRAL & TAGRA
Weekend Bonanza-3
c. 2008
Oil and acrylic on canvas in three parts
72 x 192 in
Estimate: £60,000-80,000

This gigantic triptych moves further along with the duo’s primary concern - man’s constant consumerist predilections and tendencies presented within their signature surreal settings, swathed in happy hues.

I would not bid on this particular lot as I feel they have done far more engaging works. Their appearance in sales is restricted but one is bound to find works in future contemporary auctions and/or the primary sales front. It must be noted that the private sale market is unlikely to offer any major pieces since the speculator base: the flipsters and resellers did not get much access to the duo’s creations, thanks to their representing gallery, Nature Morte’s tight check on sales of the limited supply of t+t works. Their work would significantly contribute to any emerging contemporary Indian art collection and it is prudent to remain on the watch for them.

Quick side-point: People might argue (and this is an argument I fend off ALL-THE-TIME!) that one will not get access to “such a large work at such a good value” – that should never be the argument if you want to build an important collection, in the first place. The primary determinants are the quality of the work and the object’s position/fit in your collection. If you have ticked both off on your note, go for it!

LOT 44
HEMA UPADHYAY
Killing Site V
c. 2008
Painting and sculpture
Overall installed dimensions: 76.5 x 53.5 x 35.5 inches
ESTIMATE £20,000-30,000

If considering a work by Hema for your collection, this is a lot you should bid on. It is a marriage of two motifs for the artist. One which has been an enduring one: the collage-works which feature images of Hema in a variety of postures and freeze-frames, sometimes arranged in a schematic order while in complete disarray at others. The second motif is a bearer of immense consequence with tremendous potential: this motif is a representation of India’s shanties and housing-clusters which can take on gargantuan proportions, as in the case of Dharavi which effortlessly becomes a metaphor for shift, dislocation and hope in Hema's work. The estimate is very inviting and an early hammer would make this an excellent pick.

LOT 45
RASHID RANA
Dis-Location 3, 2007-2008
C-print (Diasec face in two parts)
95 x 125 in
ed of 5
ESTIMATE £80,000-120,000

I remember attending an art-appreciation session in my pre-teens where the speaker, a wise octogenarian implored us assembled ‘connoisseurs’ to “engage with the work of art”. To view it from a distance before approaching it to understand the process involved in creating the work, by taking a closer look. Doing this would lead to the possibility of “maybe, just maybe, communicating with the work and vice-versa...” This procedure (which I subconsciously still follow) tends to play-out automatically for anyone facing a work by Rashid. Even the uninitiated viewer is bound to look at the ‘larger picture’, before stepping up to read the ‘fine-print’...enaging with the work

I have reacted to only 2 series of works by Rashid. Dis-location is not one of them. However, this particular work makes a statement which is strongly representative of Rashid’s message in Dis-location, probably the only picture in this series that is able to do it effectively and so well, at that. The massive dimension contributes significantly as it renders a life-scale window to the depicted sleepy, urban landscape which could just as well be Panipat or any dusty Indian hamlet, as against Lahore. This lot would be a super acquisition if acquired at the early estimates.

Jeff Koons Encased - Five rows

The international works which are of interest in this sale include Jeff Koons’ Encased - Five rows, a work done over the 80’s and 90’s which is emblematic of his iconic contemporary representation of the deified, factory-manufactured objects. This is an ode to the human preoccupation with consumerism, juxtaposed against the role played by the media and advertising as willing aides in the enterprise. This unique edition belongs to the Encased series which was part of the important set of works which composed his iconic body titled Equilibrium.

There is a prominent work by Tracey Emin piece titled To meet my past which is a revisit to breakthrough work, My bed. This lot should get active interest. Another lot likely to draw attention should be the large, 3-edition piece by Banksy. One of the 2 Ron Arad pieces on offer here is likely to have a bid-run though I would be partial towards the Arad lot in the Christie’s Post-war and Contemporary evening session, scheduled for the 11th of February.

Further along the month is the sale to watch out for: The YSL estate sale featuring the collection of the late Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Berge. The sale which is resplendent with paintings, sculptures, objets d’ art, antiques and personal collectables has been showcased in various cities across two continents as part of the lead-up buzz. Christie’s has walked the whole nine to ensure that this sale remains embedded in auction-history for a long time to come. The 3-day schedule where nearly one thousand collector-bidders are expected, will be held in the majestic setting of the Grand Palais in Paris. The 5 volume catalogue covering nearly 2000 pages would put a well-appointed coffee-table title to shame. The expected earnings from this sale are estimated between Euro 250-350 million. Would certainly be interesting to see how the digits ring here. Stay tuned to the blog for the latest from Paris.

There are a couple of exhibitions which I will be previewing over this weekend – will post if worth the write.

Images courtesy: Phillips de Pury

The February 2009 Art Auctions report - Part I

2009-02-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

Conversation has hovered around the credit crunch, Greenspan, SPVs and 50 million pink-slips for long enough. Given the downbeat, cautious-spend mood, it came to most as a surprise when the latest London sales raised a substantial number.

Collectively, the big 6 February sales – 2 sessions of the Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern and its Contemporary evening sale along with the three Impressionist sales at Christie’s have notched a total of GBP 144.3 M for 426 sold lots.

So has the market really softened? For a comparative, consider the massive figure of GBP 375.6 M (for 596 sold lots) which these exact 6 sales made in 2008. Read individually, in ‘08 Sotheby’s managed to raise an astounding sum of GBP 95 million for their contemporary evening sale from only 54 lots. Their evening Impressionist & Modern sale made an impressive GBP 116.6 M for 67 lots. This was at the height of the boom and repeating such numbers even in those times would have been a trifle challenging.

However, in context of these parched financial times, the very fact that nearly 150 million sterling was transacted in a matter of 4 days is remarkable. Or is it? When read in detail, the sales clearly sum up the fact that collectors are extremely well-informed and are toeing the line only for rare and/or exceptional works, furthermore, bidding on those which are tagged with an acceptable estimate. Works not matching this criterion are being ignored. As part of their contingency strategy, the auctioneers have already pruned the lot numbers on offer, reduced the estimates and steered clear of guarantees to ensure the sales seem attractive.

Now why is the money still pouring forth in the auctions? What is the hidden subtext of art-market acquisitions? Let me outline some of the possibilities using the examples of the 2 top lots in the 2 Impressionist and Modern evening sales:

EXAMPLE 1 - Sotheby’s Imp+Mod evening sale:

LOT 8 / EDGAR DEGAS / PETITE DANSEUSE DE QUATORZE ANS / 1922 / 41 in.
Estimate GBP 9,000,000 — 12,000,000 / Sold for GBP 13,257,250

The top lot here was Degas’ Petite danseuse de quatorze ans which sold for GBP13.3 M (INR 95 cr). It was acquired five years ago for under GBP 5 M by the consignor. This work is one of 28 casts of the original which was the only sculpture made by Degas to be exhibited during his lifetime. The presence of this object in a sale is a rare occurrence (considering the 28 casts created and 80 year history, this title has appeared in auction less than a dozen times) – almost all the remainder casts as well as the original are currently in Museum collections and unlikely to ever trade ownership.

LESSON 1: An important work (unless weighed down by high reserves or estimates) will find a buyer even in a dying market. If you have acquired well - with the right advice, at the right time and value, you will always be in possession of a genuine nugget.

In the instance of this work by Degas, it is a rare find in a private/public sale today and bearing its extensive provenance, it clearly amounted to an exceptional acquisition. That would explain the three bidders who went to war on it which resulted in the highest amount paid for a sculpture by Degas. A new auction record was created even in these disintegrating financial times.

LESSON 2: Another equally important learning from the sale of this lot is that a well-advised and informed collector might manage to acquire important works at abysmally low prices, even in normal to strong markets. As in the case of Sir John Madejski, the current consignor who was able to acquire this masterpiece from Sotheby’s in February 2004 for a bargain GBP 5.04 M, which was way well under the existing private sale point for this cast.

Example 2 - Christie’s Imp+Mod evening sale:

Lot 19 / Claude Monet / Dans la prairie / oil on canvas / 23 x 32 inches / 1876

Estimate on request / Sold for GBP 11,241,250

Claude Monet’s Dans la Prairie was exhibited a year after its creation at the historic 3rd Impressionist Exhibition in 1877. This canvas is considered amongst the prized body of works which form the foundation of Impressionism. It has been in private collections since the time of its creation, carries exceptional provenance, and the last time this work was publicly exhibited was at the Tate, UK in 1957. It is interesting to note that this work was sold by Sotheby’s in the late 80s at the height of the art-boom for GBP 14.3 M. Two decades later, in the wake of a bad financial market when this work reappears on the block, it is snapped up for GBP 11.24 M (INR 79.8 cr) – good deal? The buyer would think so!

Lesson 3: The potential of acquiring a strong collectable at a significantly lower price-point is heightened in weak markets. With access to funds and a willing disposition, this is the perfect time to be building forth a seminal collection, which is not always easy to manage. In a normal market environment, this work by Monet might have never appeared on the block and is certainly unlikely to have sold for this number.

In my next post, I will cover the upcoming sales of interest and importance. Of immediate note is the only work from the Asian subcontinent featured in these concluded sales: a lot titled ‘Veil IV’ by Rashid Rana in the Sotheby’s Contemporary sale made an excellent GBP 313,250 (INR 2.25 cr) against an estimate of GBP 100-150 M.

LOT 26 / Rashid Rana / Veil IV /39 by 93 inches / photographic print / ed 3 of 5

Estimate GBP 100,000—150,000 / Lot Sold for GBP 313,250

The upcoming auctions, private sales and primary shows are bound to be the perfect starting range for those who would like to venture forth into art-collecting, especially following a regulated and controlled pattern. The potential of acquiring important objects in the current scenario is tremendous.

Images courtesy: (Degas + Rashid Rana - Sotheby's) & (Monet - Christie's)

Links for 2009-01-30 [del.icio.us]

2009-01-31T00:00:00-08:00

Dodger WORK
A review of a work which I would define as a must-view if in Mumbai in January 2009
Dodger FILM
A brief review of Jean-Pierre Meliville's classic 'Le Samourai'
A Critic's Eye
A brief review of a must-visit exhibtion featuring works by Richard Bartholomew at PHOTOINK, New Delhi
The Great Indian art market
A reading on the current situation of the Indian Art Market
India's finest
A guide to the finest art galleries in India.

Dodger WORK

2009-01-28T05:33:00.000-08:00

I was in Mumbai this weekend and managed to do a quick gallery run to my preferred stops. The one work I would recommend as a must-view right now is Chitra Ganesh's video titled The Rabbithole. The 175 second loop is a contradictory, delightful glide of the macabre and bright in which Chitra’s now-familiar Amar Chitra Katha-esque mutated nymphets gambol in gay abandon with assorted chimera, against a backdrop of vividly-toned lush foliage.

Fingerprints c. 2007, 40 x 72 inches, digital print, ed. of 5

This work is a natural progression from the digital collages that Chitra made a major mark with. These collage-works use the idiom of Indian mythology to highlight the terrain of control, lust, gender and sexuality extremely effectively. While I was attracted to these works, I never wished beyond viewing them nor did I recommend them to any collections. I was never quite equipped with a response in regard to my non- committance towards them.

Secrets, c. 2007, C-print, 48 x 44.9 inches

As I tumbled headlong down The Rabbithole, the answer magically materialised. I subconsciously yearned for movement in them: the polycephalics cheery-eyed engaged in mock-battle, the roving eye floating skywards, the nubile beauties with come-hither demeanour swaying suggestively, scalpels lacerating body-parts, a solitary leg in a corner dangle in a seductive rhythm and so much glorious more.

I have intentionally not added any grabs of the work. I would suggest you either view it in person, or if not in Mumbai before the closing date, request a viewing copy from the gallery.

still from The Ghost Writer, c. 2008, Lenticular print, 20 x 24 inches

chitra ganesh
the ocean beneath
on view till February 3
11 am - 7 pm / closed on Sundays

01/18 Kamal Mansion Floor 1
Arthur Bunder Road Colaba
Mumbai 400 005 India
+91 22 2202 3787
info@chatterjeeandlal.com

in collaboration with Thomas Erben Gallery, NY http://www.thomaserben.com/

Images courtesy
www.chitraganesh.com
www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk
www.chatterjeeandlal.com

Dodger FILM

2009-01-22T12:22:00.000-08:00

Another long day in the trenches. The golden spot later in the evening was a film I caught over dinner: Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï (c. 1967)

Jef Costello (played by the aggravatingly handsome Alain Delon) is a gun-for-hire who is surgical in his methodocity. He plans his hits in detail and has his alibis tight. The narrative matches our protagonist’s calm demeanour – the flow is smooth and fashions cool in a completely new drape. The manner in which Jef goes about business, poker-faced and steady makes you wish you had an iota of the macho/zen mix he flashes. Even as the walls around him begin to close-in following a hit-gone-wrong, he maintains his composure. Both sides of the fence begin shaking him down yet the pressure does not break him.

The director Jean-Pierre Melville has thought all supporting elements in a manner that build and reinforce Jef’s loneliness and imposing situation. The cinematography by Henri Decaë is tangible - a character in itself. A stellar example of how to create, define and build a chosen mood using the powerful tools of lighting and frames. Melville furthers the case by shooting the film in muted tones….shades of grey, blue and taupe overwhelm and form a sheltering cocoon around Jef. Whenever he stumbles into a brighter palette, you find him sticking out like a sore-thumb. That aspect in itself is a major cinematic achievement. The dialogue is minimal and used only when required. All packed and punched, Jef’s steeliness holds out till curiosity and intrigue get the better of him and places him in a situation from where the script dives towards the climax.

Following the show, the only feature I questioned is the title. As campy-cool as it remains, it bothered me that a samurai is, after all the epitome of honour and respect, not a paid assassin. The elements of a frugal existence, warrior in solitude and his unwavering focus are spot-on feudal Japan. But a contract killer = samurai? In the larger context though this is fine print and will clearly make little alteration in my respect for the feature.

I deliver no further script spoilers: if you think you might enjoy a film of this nature…sixties Euro-pop meets Film Noir meets American Mafiosi flick, delivered in a minimalist package. Rent this film.

For the complete details on the cast, credits and pictures from Le Samouraï , please visit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062229/

If you are certain this is your type, might I suggest you catch Melville’s Bob le Flambeur(1956) and Le Cercle Rouge (1970). Both are top-picks and classics from his nearly three decade year run.

The film I am itching for is Slumdog Millionaire. Will try and catch it PVR Dharavi over the weekend in Bombay :)

A Critic's Eye

2009-01-19T05:54:00.000-08:00

A must-visit show in Delhi is A Critic's Eye at PHOTOINK featuring a brilliant body of rarely-seen photographs by the respected art critic Richard Bartholomew (1926 - 1985). The works can broadly be grouped under two heads: travel chronicles around India and the US. Fantastic compositions which transport the viewer to a hazy bygone. The second set are images which afford us a peek into Mr. Bartholomew's private life. Visuals of the leading modernists: his friends and colleagues - Ram Kumar, S H Raza, M F Husain, Jehangir Sabavala amongst other leading artists of the period, at work and after. And personal pictures of his wife and sons: a middle-class nuclear family going about their lives, captured with affectionate detail. A Critic's Eye is on view through February.

Moonlit night, Old Delhi, c. 1956

PHOTOINK
Hyundai MGF Building, Ground Floor,
1 Jhandewalan, Faiz Road,
New Delhi - 110 005
+91 11 2875 5941
http://www.photoink.net/

11 am - 7 pm
Closed Sundays and Public holidays
The show will continue till February-end.

A note on the show
A writer, art critic, curator, painter and poet, is how Bartholomew is remembered. Bartholomew’s love for literature and art remained lifelong companions and he became one of the finest voices in art criticism in India. He was one of the first art critics to start a serious dialogue with the painters of his time. He created a community with them and engendered a sense of direction at a time when the public was not fully receptive to the bold artistic exploration of India’s Progressive Art Movement. His photographs however, remained a more private introspection of life around him and were rarely exhibited. Twenty-four years after his death, we visit his archive and discover an intense and sophisticated eye that provides a rare glimpse into the beginnings of Modernism in India. He recorded art and artists with a custodian’s eye. Ever watchful and yet unobtrusive, like the man he intrinsically was, Bartholomew perhaps understood the evidentiary and historical role of the photograph. That many of the artists he photographed became significant underscores the importance of his archive today. When he photographed his wife and sons, the same watchful eye sought comfort in observing, but from a distance. He watched them sleep and read books as the years went by and the photographs are unusually tender and yet unsentimental. When he photographed on his travels in India and abroad, his attention to the banal detail reinforced his profound engagement with photography. He looked for the peculiar, the mundane and configured it with meaning that only a highly attuned mind would.

The jacket of 'A Critic's Eye', released at the opening

Richard Bartholomew would have been 82 today, had he been alive. As a remembrance and to mark the occasion of his first major exhibition in India, a book titled, A Critic’s Eye will be released at the Opening.

'Note on the show' text + image courtesy: www.bartholomew.tv

Following Delhi, the show will travel to Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai. http://www.chatterjeeandlal.com/
Will post an update with the dates.

The Great Indian art market

2009-01-14T02:32:00.000-08:00

I have always been a little hesitant about being referred to as an art consultant. At the height of the art-boom, consultants were mushrooming faster than one could blink. Mail-boxes would get jammed with images of works on offer – courtesy your friendly neighbourhood art consultant. Things hurtled downwards at such a pace that introducing oneself as an art consultant was like walking into a funeral in pink. The distinct dubiety that this professional tag carried was unparalleled. One would rate somewhere between a charlatan and a shyster. Likened to opportunists in popular perception, with the art boom arose the entity of the Art Consultant.

When I look back at this overt interpretation, and I state this with no disrespect to anyone else from my profession, it was due to the fact that most seemed to know little beyond the value of the work and the commission to be earned on it. There was an innate knowledge of how to work a computer and attach images though. Background information on the artist and work, its context and/or importance, even basic information about provenance was absent. In my personal view barring 3-4 professional consultants, the remaining tribesmen probably knew lesser about the object of art than the collector being courted. Which says it all.

Till rather recently, the walls of the livings rooms of the most august homes in India would be plastered with Archies gallery standard-issue landscapes, waterfall, wildlife and foliage, complete with inspirational saying et al. Things have thankfully steamed-rolled along since. Speaking at a general level, once initiated into collecting, changes manifest themselves over the years. From the neophyte tendency to gravitate towards the literal and attractive (think realism, figure studies of diaphanously-draped women, beach and landscapes, portraits of Rajasthani gypsies) to appreciating abstraction (which can easily be a great garb for lack-lustre, mediocre work) to connecting with edgy contemporary creations, the journey can be phenomenal. The contemporary collectorship is obviously bound to be favoured by the young (and the brave!) with the older/conventional set staying in the safer confines of the pre-millennium.

When I look at the cumulative appreciation growth-curve, there has been a fairly sluggish pace in accepting the new grain. Yes, the shows were sell-outs. Many contemporaries came to be known beyond the art-circles. But a reading of the market reveals that a larger section of collectable work sold to speculators who placed them in auctions within the year. Works created in 2007/8 were acquired by ‘collectors’ who would consign it the same year in an international/local/online contemporary sale, and it would sell for 5 times the buy-in value. The rapid surge in value, that too in such a short span would be glorified by the media, in many cases even making the front-page and the news-ticker. Result: more speculators and more interest in the 'Investing in Art' school. Private banks set up art-consultancy cells and art evenings for their HNI clientele was suddenly the norm. The bandwagon got fatter and fatter, threatening the seams till the price-tags on the works of even the relative newbies made me gasp. When I look at my sales sheets of the last 6-9 months, I realise that there was not much print on paper. Not because there was nothing on offer. Au contraire, I would be viewing at least a dozen works by the courted contemporaries (and the occasional work by masters) on a weekly, but given the values were too blatantly blasphemous for my conservative sensibilities, I would pass. Successively. Some concerned collectors called to enquire about the lack of activity on my part wondering if I had left for Tibet to join a monastery. I was missing out on the Gold Rush, after all.

The fact of the matter is that anyone with a sane and rational view would see what this was – plain, pure hype. Art was being consumerized. Like stocks and shares. And everyone seemed to be blindly running with the belief that there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We all know where this leads… In every direction I looked, works of all nature were flying-off-the-shelves, literally commodified. The process of works making it to auction within 6 months of primary sale was so oft-repeated that 2008 could easily be deemed the ‘Year of Flip’.

In retrospective reading, the tendency was to approach art with the proclivity of a hard-nosed, no-nonsense no-attachment investment. Which is understandable, given our thorough lack of exposure to art at a young age – we have no Indian Musee du Louvres, MoMAs and Tates. It remains hard for many to comprehend the importance of art beyond a mere wall/space dressing.

At a generalized level, the new art buyer was driven by a two-fold agenda –

1. Be part of the culture-club / Belong to the new cool.

2. Park a portion of available asset-funds in a secure spot.

When read with the benefit of hindsight, the value of a smaller segment of art can grow phenomenally. There are major disclaimers involved though. Regarding the topic of art as an investment, I will dedicate a series of longer entries where, in self-granted capacity of the devil’s advocate, I will discuss and question the basic art-investor rules: namely, the art-investors Golden 5:

1. Buy from reputed galleries (after building a solid rapport and relation with gallerist)

2. Study an artist’s work and his/her personal stance (if one exists ie)

3. Study the names in auctions. Follow their track record.

4. Read. Study. Due diligence. Study some more.

5. Network the circuit.

The Art Investor Golden 5. Almost identical to what one does in traditional stock markets. And it makes complete sense. It is tried and tested. Works well. And all that homework later just as 2008 is bidding us adieu, you are decide you are ready. You are willing. You buy big. You buy Satyam! Reputed, admired, great track history and highly recommended!! Hmmm.

Coincidental jests apart, I will address these aspects in context of the art market in posts to follow. Please stay tuned - a subscribe link is available on the blog homepage.

To round up, I have little doubt that collecting will limp back to life slowly. My reading is that with most investors hit hard and the hype deflated, things will duly shift back to considering art for its own sake, importance and pleasure. The relevance of art, its larger bearing and its capability to build an identity are all too obvious to the aware. The current generation is well-travelled and understands the importance of art for personal evolution, the society and its people. As they come to take charge of their lives and portfolios, there will be a clarified manifest to consider art for their homes and boardrooms.

In the context of immediate and approaching times, those who have an eye on the economic ergonomic will clearly be aware of a somewhat idealistic scenario of a Buyers Market rising in the distance. A classic text-book version, at that. Those amongst us who have an intention of acquiring the established roster should stand ready.

And if you need any direction, there are still some art consultants out there. Ahem.

India's finest

2009-01-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

The art market worldwide has been in the throes of an unparalleled ascent. The surging values of art have been fuelled by cash-rich Russians, Chinese, Arabs and Asians with a persistent itch to be part of the jet-set club that collects. ‘Having arrived’ in this millennium means a home peppered with Giacometti, Hirst, Rothko, Kapoor, Murakami and Pollock.

Understandably, the uncontrollable desire to collect hit Indian shores as well and the tearing hurry to own that elusive chef d'œuvre by Gupta, Souza, Gaitonde, Kallat, ( list preference here ) was but natural. Indian art galleries have witnessed this whirligig up-close, reacting with bemused amusement.

If around and willing, here’s my pick for the must-visit galleries in India.

Mumbai

C&L retained its original architectural elements - the result is a brilliant fusion

Break in your pebble-soled Tods walking around downtown Colaba, Mumbai’s Chelsea. Begin with Chatterjee & Lal. Mortimer and Tara, the stylish couple behind C&L have in a short run created a strong brand which is trendily unorthodox yet reassuringly approachable. Check out the unlikely alliance of the experimental creations on display with the antiquated interiors.
Expect to meet: a performance artist in his made-to-measure chopines.
Visit them at 01/18, Kamal Mansion, Floor 1, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba - 400 005 Phone +91 22 6521 5105 http://www.chatterjeeandlal.com/

Stroll down to Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, a charming space located smack behind the legendary Taj Mahal hotel. Run by the mother-daughter duo of Usha and Ranjana, the gallery has an impressive selection of mid-career and emerging contemporary talent.
Expect to meet: The neophyte contemporary collector engaging with a large format work.
Visit them at 2, Sunny House, 16/18 Mereweather Road, behind Taj Mahal Hotel, Colaba - 400 001 Phone: + 91 22 2202 3030/ 3434/ 3636 http://www.galeriems.com/

Hop over for lunch to Busaba, Nikhil Chib’s south-Asian gem for some lip-smacking times. And try the dessert. At 4, Mandlik Road, Colaba Phone +91 22 2204 3769

São Paulo based artist Nina Pandolfo takes a breather during her solo show at Gallery Maskara

Sleep off the khaukswe with a catnap in the car as you head towards Gallery Maskara, the youngest amongst the best. Referred to as the Warehouse on 3rd Pasta after the lane it is located in, this character-infused space dates back to the pre-partition days when it was used as a cotton storage depot. Abhay, the collector-curator behind the gallery envisions his space as a platform for contemporary art forms and processes from all over the globe. A vision well realised! An apt setting for site-specifics, this space heralds a visible shift from the norm and is indicative of impending times and thought.
Expect to meet: Apart from the cognoscenti, art students here for inspiration.
Visit them at 6/7, 3rd Pasta Lane, Colaba - 400 050 Phone +91 22 2202 3056 http://www.gallerymaskara.com/

Sakshi Gallery with works by various contemporaries on display

The next stop is Sakshi, a bastion of the Indian art world established by Ms. Geetha Mehra over 2 decades ago which is set in a colonial courtyard property on a tree-lined road. Inspite of being at a stone’s throw from the tumult of Mumbai traffic and humdrum, you can view art by the established modernists and contemporaries along with an interesting portfolio of emerging artists in soothing, tranquil interiors.
Expect to meet: a fat-cat collector making a whistle-stop en route the airport before jetting off to his private getaway in the Côte d’Azur
Visit them at Tanna House, Ground Floor, 11-A Nathalal Parekh Marg, Near Regal Cinema, Colaba - 400 001 Phone +91 22 6610 3424 http://www.sakshigallery.com/

Chemould Prescott with works by Jagannath Panda on view

Now head to Chemould Prescott which is an urbane space set in a century-old colonial property, at once spectacular and welcoming the moment you swing open the massive door. Gallery Chemould was started by Kekoo and Khorshed Gandhy 45 years ago. It is now run by Shireen, the couple’s daughter who since taking over 2 decades ago has prophetically supported the fledgling careers of most of the current contemporary giants.
Expect to meet: The old-money, la savante collector with his young hedge-fund manager son in tow.
Visit them at Queens Mansion, 3rd Floor, G. Talwatkar Marg, Fort 400 001 Phone +91 22 2200 0212 http://www.gallerychemould.com/

The last stop for the day is Bodhi Mumbai. Though the gallery has other spaces tattooed all over the globe, this well located gallery has to be their flagship. Spread over two levels (and a third which houses the staff) the works on display are generally a selection of the leading contemporaries.
If possible, visit their larger ‘Space’ at Haji Bandar which is a 20 minute drive. Think 798/Soho/Fotan/Ruhr minus the numbers. Bodhi Space is the only gallery in this massive dockyard storage shed compound in which lurks true art-district potential.
Expect to meet: Investment banker-types in sharp suits.
Visit them at 28, K Dubash marg, ITTS house, Kalaghoda - 400 001
Phone +91 22 6610 0124 http://www.bodhiart.in/

For dinner, walk over to Trishna which serves the finest seafood in Mumbai. Fair warning - carry portable folding seats as the wait is at least half an hour, sometimes more. Well worth it though!
At the Birla Mansion, Sai Baba Marg (next to Commerce House), Kala Ghoda
Phone +91 22 2270 3213

Bangalore

If you are in the Garden-City, visit Gallery Ske which derives its name from owner Sunitha Kumar Emmart’s initials. The gallery has promoted progressive artists since its inception and has showcased some path-breaking shows. Many of the currently collectable emerging/known contemporaries launched with this space.
Expect to meet: An out-of-towner patron who has planned this trip to catch the gallery’s current show.
Visit them at The Presidency, 82, St. Marks Road Phone +91 80 4112 0873 http://www.galleryske.com/

Just around the corner is the delightful Sunny’s (named after the owner’s handsome golden retriever) where the international gourmet can enjoy excellent European cuisine
At 34, Vittal Mallya Road Phone 080 41329366

Delhi

The Devi Art Foundation is Gurgaon is a much-needed step forward

On landing in Delhi, drive straight from the airport to the Devi Art Foundation. A look at the vaunted space designed by Aniket Bhagwat sets the bar high even before you enter it. Built to house long-term shows of works from the Poddar collection, this space stands out like a beacon. A much-needed programme in our country, hopefully this space will set the tone for the future collectors. One small step for man…
Expect to meet: An assorted bevy of curators, trustees and patrons of the most prominent art establishments from the world over.
Visit them at Sirpur House, Sector 44, Plot 39, Gurgaon http://www.deviartfoundation.org/

Drive across town to Nature Morte, Peter Nagy’s gallery in south-Delhi which has played a pivotal role in generating and retaining interest in the Indian contemporary scene. Responsible for mentoring some of the country’s most sought after names, Nagy is much in demand himself and is on the speed-dial of the who’s-who of the art world.
Expect to meet: The discrete collector who has slowly been building up an enviable portfolio.
Visit them at A-1, Neeti Bagh, Phone +91 11 4174 0215 http://www.naturemorte.com/

For lunch, head to Swagath for authentic Mangalorean cuisine. There’s the popular vegetarian sister, Sagar which is a hop-skip-jump away.
At 14 & 24, Defence Colony market Phone +91 11 24330930

Following lunch, drive to the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) to view some exceptional works of Indian art from over the last 150 years.
Jaipur House, India Gate, Delhi, 110001 Phone +91 11 2338 8853

A space which transforms with every show: PHOTOINK in Delhi

Next head out to PHOTOINK, a space dedicated to photography which presents the media in a deservingly rich environment. Devika Daulet-Singh, the tireless powerhouse behind PhotoInk started the company as a photo agency in 2001 (the gallery opened earlier this year) and has worked relentlessly to promote the work of Indian photographers.
Expect to meet: Photography veterans and collectors looking to widen their lexicon.
Visit them at Hyundai MGF Building, 1 Jhandewalan, Faiz Road Phone +91 11 2875 5941 http://www.photoink.net/

As evening begins to set in, head to Mrs Renu Modi’s Gallery Espace which displays a varied genre of art. Established nearly two decades ago, this gallery has worked with a larger section of the modernist group and is now working towards creating a strong emerging bracket. The space is spread over three levels which facilitates multiple shows simultaneously.
Expect to meet: Art-followers making enquiries about the Video-Wednesday programme launched by Espace to promote the medium.
Visit them at 16, Community Centre, New Friends Colony Phone +91 11 2632 6267 http://www.galleryespace.com/

Dinner is a short walk to The Yum Yum Tree, Varun Tuli’s stylish speciality Chinese restaurant. Try the hargao duck and cashew dumplings.
On the 1st floor, Community Centre, New Friends Colony (Opp Nathu Sweets) Phone +91 11 4260 2020
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(Courtesy note: This piece appeared in the December edition of Travel + Leisure South Asia)

T+L...c, anyone?

2008-12-17T10:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, am back after a while! I have been travelling and viewing a lot of art. Will make up for the hiatus with posts over the weekend covering my thoughts on the London art week (Frieze et al), 'Chalo! India' at the Mori Museum, Tokyo and the Miami fiesta.

For starters, uploading an article that appears in the December edition of Travel + Leisure (hipsters call it T+L!)

In fine bookstores across the country through December :)

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Links for 2008-08-23 [del.icio.us]

2008-08-24T00:00:00-07:00

The India Art Summit

The India Art Summit

2008-07-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

As I was stepping out of the Gagosian space in Rome sometime around the beginning of this month, I bumped into a European gallerist buddy who has shown Indian contemporary art intermittently in her space since 2007. (She too was braving the terrible Italian heat on account of a visit to Manifesta during a month when all the locals celebrate Ferragosto with a mass exodus to better climes) Our ensuing conversation covered a number of aspects but the one I am about to discuss was the India Art Summit. She wanted to know what I felt would be the impact and potential of the event. An interesting dialogue followed and I have keyed in some of my thoughts below.

The India Art Summit is taking place in Delhi from 22nd to 24th of August and the organisers promise to bring together everyone who has a stake or interest in the Indian art space, offering a platform to interact, discuss and network.

To analyse the platform objectively, the first question one needs to be address is what makes any art event successful? The answer, if read simply is the audience the event attracts and the list of participants along with the selection of art they display. In the case of the India Art Summit, it is bound to attract apart from the direct and indirect stakeholders like galleries, artists and ‘investors’, a large sampling of the curious-outsider, people who have heard enough about art-boom and are looking for straight-forward answers. They should find some here at the discussions and talks lined up. Some of the finest luminaries from the art world are scheduled to be part of the art forum. The event will also undoubtedly be a playground for networkers – struggling artists hoping to meet their Charles, the slick art-consultants looking for their personal Pinaults and the savvy speculator looking for anyone willing to buy their list of latest ‘to-flips’.

The summit has managed to pull together apart from a bevy of partners and sponsors, a number of seasoned galleries. However, many established names are missing who are abstaining, I guess on account of two reasons. Most of these galleries are already participating in fairs and events all over the world and do not have the time to sign up here. Secondly, the largely-held view that the event is likely to attract only a local/national audience, at least for this inaugural chapter. Showing art to a sea of known-faces is not particularly exciting and the biggies would probably like to wait out the first couple of editions of the fair and begin enrolling only when certain they will actually encounter a diverse and well-rounded audience.

I personally feel that supporting an event of this nature especially in the initial stages would be the right thing to do. Our art-movement in terms of prevalent practices in the dealership and artist-relationship territory is still in the fairly-undeveloped/slowly-developing mode. In particular, the ensuing connoisseurship is extremely limited with the larger bandwidth approaching art more as a financial commodity than a cultural representative which deserves the support of industry and establishment. This support segment needs to be widened if we have half an intention to move to the next level. We certainly could do with a world-class event which works as a platform to bring everyone together for the growth of the space.

The state of nascence off-set with the painfully sharp financial ascent in the Indian art-space has led to a number of peculiarities which are fairly unique to our market. As against the Chinese art counterpart which over the last 2 decades and with the primary patronage of European collectors has grown into the behemoth it is, the Indian wave has zipped up over the last 5-7 years and is largely attributed to the Indian investor tribe. Sure enough, we now have genuine international art funds entering the fray as well, expanding to include the swish international ‘collector’ who has a weakness for the joy of flip. This investor-collector category has its eye more on the bottom-lines and little beyond. If a healthier bottom-line means a flip or two (and then some!) of works in the upcoming sales which were acquired a few months back from a primary exhibition, so be it. No worries really about the careers of the artists who they will bury as swiftly as their bank balance rises.

Keeping this patron-saint in mind, the event’s body-copy veers towards the word, ‘investor’; in fact, there are assurances that we are likely to see a “new wave” of this fascinating person at the event. Now I am not going to pretend to be a purist and deny the importance of financial thrust for our market. It is this financial outburst which to a great measure is giving art its new-found respect and artizens like me our daily bread…cake actually! But one needs to realise that this is a good run and we are in the throes of a major swell-tide. It is important for the cash-cow to pull the cart but current practices suggest unacceptable pricing with scarce justification coupled with an evidently lesser emphasis on content and quality of the art produced (a dangerous trend). This is a sign of a young market, an attribute which will change as the market matures though I am certain will see a chunk of the market itself crumble as it develops. A dose of pragmatism would be ideal on part of all involved - galleries/promoters/consultants, artists and collectors.

On the buying front, there seems to be too much mind, too little heart involved in the process today.

Enough digression from the protagonist...another aspect key to the growth of the India Art Summit would be the standard of art on display and the participants involved which would be a combination of galleries, artists and the particular works on view. The mix/selection and the quality of the content on view should be nothing short of exceptional. Quality control is what defines any art-event. Every noteworthy art-event in the world has a stringent shortlist procedure which is meant to ensure that only the finest of galleries are part of the event. The expected result of this check is that the art displayed by these powerhouses would be amongst the finest on offer and that would ensure a premium audience, solid feedback and enviable reportage. I will be able to give my views on the event only after attending it...stay tuned :)

However, let me conclude with the thought that this is the first step for the Summit and it hopefully will improve substantially with the years, applying the learning along the way. As we all know, Basel was not built in a day!

‘Universal Recipient’, Jitish Kallat, Haunch of Venison

2008-07-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

I approached the Haunch of Venison space in Zurich with slight apprehension. I had been told by friends that the installation in Jitish Kallat’s solo showing, ‘Universal Recipient’ was his largest, most stunning attempt yet but I was not sure about the result. My concerns were related more to the realization of the work, the finish and presentation being key apsects. This work had been previewed for a single night at Gallery Maskara, amongst the finest contemporary spaces in India, but I had unfortunately missed it there. I was familiar with smaller works from the same series shown during his solo earlier this year at Chemould Prescott Road which were highly engaging pieces and had created an imagined visual of the work even before viewing it.

‘Aquasaurus’, 2008, Paint, resin, steel, 254 x 688.3 x 269.2 cm

One look at the mammoth and every shred of doubt vanished. ‘Aquasaurus’, a life-scale representation of a water-tanker, skinned to the bone to unveil a Jurassic endoskeleton, was exceptional. A curious marriage of a vaguely-familiar vehicle and a figure straight out of a pre-historic museum, both relics of another age, the physicality of this work was simply overwhelming. And yes, the realization was exceptional; the scale, perfect!

A profile shot of the beast

As if to validate the importance of this work, following this exhibition, Aquasaurus will settle into the private collection of François Pinault, super-collector, business magnate and owner of the auction house, Christie’s (which in turn owns the Haunch of Venison gallery).

An installation shot of the canvases

The other works in this show include a series of canvases depicting the portraits of Indian men, which carry a potent duality. His subject is the everyman whose drab existence you can read off his appearance yet the presentation is bright and celebratory in tone. Jitish has found a thought-provoking symbol in the bronzed casts which act as a perch to support the canvas. These are scaled-down representations of actual gargoyles from the stunning facade of the Victoria Terminus (VT in Mumbaiyya parlance), the main railway station which is one of the most important landmarks of the city, a figure so essential for the city that life would collapse without it. The symbol that supports the canvas represents the structure that supports the city istelf. These canvases, in continuation with Jitish’s earlier series like Carbon Milk and Dawn Chorus are a perfect example of works which define India’s finest contemporary selection.

The show also features a suite of paperworks from the ‘Friendly fire’ series and a set of lenticular prints titled ‘Cenotaph’ which records the reclamation of a squatter colony and its eventual fate.

This exhibition is an ambitious step forward for an artist who I believe is one of the country’s most exciting contemporary talents. Kallat’s work is internationally contemporaneous while maintaining a wholly Indian subject orientation. The constant leitmotif in Jitish’s works has been his city, Mumbai. He highlights the local street urchins, day-labour and working class as protagonists, using them as metaphors for the abject poverty, unseen hunger and constant struggle which seem to populate a number of emerging cities across the globe thus making it as universal concern as well.

Universal Recipient, works by Jitish Kallat, Till 2nd August,
Haunch of Venison, Lessingstrasse 5, Zürich AG

all images courtesy of Haunch of Venison and the artist

The Christie's Post-war and Contemporary sale results

2008-06-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

The Christie's Post-War and Contemporary sale, 30th June 2008, London
Total 59 Lots on offer (10 works unsold)
Total value realised GBP 86.24 million*
(*all figures listed here are in GBP)

The Christie's Post-War and Contemporary sale which took place last night raised a total of GBP 86,241,600. The highlights for me in this sale were -

# S H Raza's 'La Terre' which had been valued at GBP 1 - 1.5 million sold for £1,273,250 placing it at par with 'Birth' by F N Souza, which is the highest value paid at auction for an Indian work of art. This record was clocked at a Christie's sale as well: the June 11 South-Asian Modern and Contemporary sale in which 77 works by Indian and a few Paksitani artists had raised 5.37 million.

Following last night's sale, the record is now held jointly by both these masters. Though this lot did not close upto the expectations of the auction house which had given it an uppish-valuation, the sale result clearly suggests that the collector is ready to spend well on a strong work by the Modernist. With the Modernist auction stance reinforced with this sale, I am certain we will see superior quality returning to the sales. The positioning of the modernists in the following auction season will be interesting to follow...

# There were 3 works by Subodh in the sale - one Canvas and two sculptures. The canvas beat both the sculptures in terms of final value realised. The canvas titled 'Idol Thief' closed at £337,250 above both the airport trolley work titled 'Dubai to Calcutta #19' and the fantastic installation, 'Curry 2', both of which closed in the early 300,000s. 'Dubai to...' realised GBP 313,250 against a pre-sale of 150,000-200,000 which was just marginally above the value a similar work had closed at in the Artcurial sale this April at GBP 313,012. 'Curry 2' closed at a suprisingly short 301,250...well under my personal expectations. The work was presale tagged at 250,000 - 350,000. Another excellent work acquired low.

In my reading, Subodh's finest work is from the genre of sculptures and installations. The bidders right now do not seem to agree with me and are spending top-dollar on his canvases. To further validate their preference, you can consider the fact that his current auction record is for a canvas which sold at the Saffronart summer sale for INR 5.71 cr. However, I personally believe that it is some of his installations that are truly prized pieces which will be regarded as amongst the most iconic of India's contemporary body of work. And yes, I am certain these will eventually fetch far higher than his canvases in auction.

What is excellent for the Indian art scene is that strong, representative work is being placed in the most important sales by the primary auction houses, and these works are matching upto the listed estimates and holding their own against the other lots. This is a great development which will enable us to move ahead steadily.

The other main highlights of the sale...

# The top lot of the evening was a triptych by Francis Bacon collectively measuring 14 x 36 inches, which sold for 17.2 million

# The stunning 'Balloon flower (Magenta)' by Jeff Koons which was consigned by the Rachofsky collection, an important name from the American art community, set a new record for him closing at 12.9 million, moving above 'Hanging Heart (Magenta and Gold)' which Sothebys sold in their November Contemporary sale for 10.1 million.

# Anish Kapoor's stunning untitled work, a large reverse-orb made of shiny aluminium made in 2004 sold for 1.07 million

# Lucian Freud's nude study sold for 11.8 million, well short of his current high of 15.3 million.

For the full sales sheet, please click here -

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/searchresults.aspx?intSaleID=21523#action=paging&intSaleID=21523&sid=4d31c4ce-2f18-4493-9385-43358ed3b89b&pg=1

The auction to watch out for...

2008-06-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

The world art market is at an all-time high right now. At least the recent auction results seem to suggest this. I have generally been wary of high numbers in auction for a slew of reasons...an ego-play overdrive, a non-transparent playing field, vested interests at work et al but there seems to be no escaping the number-game right now. Though we have notched up the highest price paid in auction for a work of art from India with records falling successively from Souza to Subodh, it seems almost certain that these impressive numbers will be fall again. Soon.

The iconic Jeff Koons' 'Balloon Flower' which is likely to propel him back into auction record zone again

The Christies Post-War and Contemporary sale on the 30th of June in London is offering a fantastic lineup of some immensely collectable works. This evening sale is a brilliantly arranged mix of 59 works, many of these news-making, record-breaking lots including the stunning 'Balloon Flower' by Jeff Koons carrying an undisclosed estimate (available on request). Other works in the sale reads like the artworlds who's-who and includes Hirst, Bacon, Anish Kapoor, Murakami, Nara, Wesselmann and Cattelan amongst others.

Lucian Freud's study of a reclining nude on a dilapidated sofa might just compete with his current auction high

The top lot (no. 18) is a canvas by Lucian Freud, a nude study from 1980 which is valued at GBP 10-15 million. Freud, 86 became the most expensive living artist at auction when London-based billionaire Roman Abramovich acquired the nude study of a crisps-n-bacon loving poser for USD 33.6 million, interestingly at the previous chapter of the Christies Post-war and Contemporary sale this May. Christies is obviously hoping to repeat, if not better the performance. I am not too sure they will pip the record with this particular work though.

Raza's brilliant 'La Terre' is presumably going to be the most expensive Indian work of art...

Now to the news which is of interest to the Indian art follower - the inclusion of a work by S H Raza titled ‘La Terre’ (lot 40) from 1973 which has been valued at GBP 1 – 1.5 million. By virtue of this valuation, Christies is suggesting that Raza’s work deserves to be the most expensive work sold in auction by an Indian artist. This is undoubtedly an exceptional work from the master's finest period, which to me is a few notches more collectable than the defined geometric works which followed, a classic example of which was sold by Saffronart in its recently concluded summer sale (lot 50).

And yet another auction record, Souza's current auction stand for the highest paid value for an Indian work, the seemingly monumental USD 2.6 million barely set a fortnight ago (at the Christie’s Indian sale in London) might come crashing down. The auctioneers have also sent out a clear message to the art world by placing Raza’s work in this particular sale, that too at the given presale – The time for the Indian Modernist is returning.

However, for the Modernist market to resurge, it is crucial that works of exceptional quality be placed in the forthcoming sales to reinforce and further build on this foundation that the auctioneers are laying. The auctioneers have not been very successful in coaxing collectors to loosen the grip on their Gaitondes over the last couple of seasons. If that takes pre-sale guarantees for minimum value assured and confirmed sale of a consigned lot on part of the auction house to the collector, it best be done. Else this might turn out to be a gaint squib - a situation everyone involved would certainly not enjoy.

'Curry' by Subodh Gupta, an iconic work by India's most successful contemporary

And if you thought this was merely a Modernist ride, think again. Subodh is represented here by 3 lots (nos. 7, 48 and 53) with two installations and a canvas. The pick of the set which is certain to be a bidder’s favourite is the shiny installation titled 'Curry 2' which is a scaled-up representation of the typical stainless steel kitchen cabinet used to dry washed utensils. This work is a major collectable which will be amongst Subodh's most iconic works and I hope is won and installed in a solid, genuine collection. The first set of works from this series was a favourite with visitors to the Venice Biennale in 2005 where it is was displayed, if you remember, in the super setting of the Arsenale...made a fantastic viewing!

'Dubai to Calcutta #19'

The other installation in the sale is also a collectable work titled 'Dubai to Calcutta #19', an editioned airport trolley, complete with baggage and bed-roll, representing the booty that the migrant Indian labour class brings back on return to the country after years of working in places like the Gulf and the middle-east. A similar work titled 'Chariot for the seven seas' was the first work to set a record in the Artcurial Indian sale earlier this year. The third work is a canvas titled 'Idol Thief', a representation of utensils displayed in all their stainless bling, reminiscent of the work which established his current auction record of INR 5.71 crores (set barely a week back for a canvas at the spring Saffronart sale). This record too is also likely to fall with this sale.

With the inclusion of these 4 works in the Post-War and Contemporary sale which is amongst the most eagerly followed and successful auctions in the artworld today, Christies is clearly keen on widening the market for the Indian art space. As a gushing PR rep would put it, "Indian Art belongs alongside the finest art in the world and the artists, contemporary and modern are amongst the world’s collectable best."

click here to view the complete auction -
http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/searchresults.aspx?intSaleID=21523

The Chapman brothers recreate hell

2008-06-28T02:43:00.000-07:00

Jake and Dinos Chapman are regarded as amongst the most intelligent artists from Britain today. 'Hell' (2000) was one of their most critically acclaimed works. The diorama work featured tens of thousands of 2-inch-high figures, many in Nazi uniform and performing extreme acts of violence and cruelty. When the original work which was part of the Charles Saatchi collection was destroyed in 2004 in a fire, the Chapmans announced that they would revisit the subject.

The revisit has resulted in an expanded exhibit titled 'F#@king Hell' and consists of 9 vitrines, placed in a swastika formation on the lower level of the gallery. Each vitrine represents a phenomenally detailed diorama, an elevated recreation of the nightmarish happenings in a macabre, fantastical combination of torture camps from the worst phases of human action – the Nazis, Pol Pot, Edi Amin et al. The works, exaggerated in scale features a scene consisting of thousands of characters, each playing a role in it. Nazis, pigs, zygotes, Volkswagens, vultures and human figures, decapitated and mutilated make a grotesque picture.

In spite of being so revolting in nature, a viewer helplessly finds himself trying to identify the actions of the thousands of tiny figurines. Many visitors to the show were revisiting it as they were unable to absorb the magnitude of the exhibits in one go. The scale and detail of the work is astounding, at once reminding a viewer of Bosch's vision of hell from his masterpiece 'The Garden of Earthly Delights'. A must-see section, 'F#@king Hell' will undoubtedly be regarded as a landmark work of this decade.

The show also features 2 more sections, both comprising reworked pictures. The Chapmans were in the news in the 2003 for reworking on Spanish master Francisco Goya's original etchings. The original works from the 1930s were retouched by the Chapmans who replaced the original subject's heads with clown and puppy faces. Many art-lovers regarded this act as vandalizing and defacing the master's works. Clearly, the critics have not managed to silence the Chapmans who have moved forward to explore this idea further. Stepping forward from their reworked Goya etchings, the Chapmans have presented a suite of 13 watercolours, attributed to Adolf Hitler which have been reworked by adding hearts, clouds and stars to the original works. The show also features 17 portraits from the eighteenth and nineteenth century, most in poor physical condition which have been reworked by incorporating ghoulish deformations to the faces.

Exhibition info 'If Hitler Had Been a Hippy How Happy Would We Be', White Cube, Mason's Yard, London. Till July 12

Links for 2008-07-02 [del.icio.us]

2008-07-03T00:00:00-07:00

The Christie's Post-war and Contemporary sale results
A brief reading of Indian lots sold in the Christie's post-war and contemporary sale.

Another record falls

2008-06-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Painting by Subodh creates personal new auction record at the Saffronart sale

Subodh Gupta, presented by many writers as India's Damien will be in the news all over again. In a span of just a week, his personal best at the auctions have fallen. Twice.

The story began with a large untitled installation at the Christies Asian Contemporary and Modern sale in London which sold for GBP 601,500 and proceeded to an untitled canvas, depicting an array of utensils displayed in all their stainless bling which sold (just a few minutes ago) on the online Saffronart summer sale for USD 1,427,500 - INR 5.71 crores.

Though there is bound to a major amount of wah-wahs doing the rounds, I think it would be best to wait out the month-end. Given the current mood and aggressiveness towards acquiring a work by Subodh, this record might be an old number by then.

Subodh Gupta
Untitled
2006
Oil on Canvas
65.5 x 90 in
Signed in Devnagari and dated in English (verso)
Estimate Rs 80,00,000 - 1,00,00,000
Winning Bid Rs 5,71,00,000 (Inclusive of Buyer's Premium)

Anish Kapoor - The Mesmerizer

2008-06-18T23:36:00.000-07:00

This week at the Basel Art fair, art-lovers were treated to a bevy of interesting works. By the end of the 5 day extravaganza, the senses of all the visitors are a little numb with so much art on display. There are however always a set of works which standout in your visual repository.

Anish Kapoor's work at Art Basel39

Amongst one of the more popular works was a large wall-mounted piece by India-born sculptor Anish Kapoor who has been based in UK since the early seventies. This work, a large semi-circular orb rendered in a rich English flannel gray tone held everyone in its trance for the first few minutes. The mystical drama in his works make a viewer stop in his tracks and step closer for a look, such is the level of quality and presentation. Much of the brilliance lies in the sense of illusion as well, seemingly suggesting there is more to be discovered.

The finish of the works is always exceptional and more often than not, one can not help but marvel the beauty of the object. The key nugget that I always take home after an AK viewing is that having a brilliant concept is essential but the realisation is absolutely paramount - a fact some of our artists must concentrate on, if they want to be compared with the finest and stand the test of time.

The work from up and close

Another quality which sets Mr Kapoor apart is his comfort across a variety of mediums including the standard bronze, metal and stone and also the more contemporary ones like enamelled fibre-glass, aluminum, pigment, enamel, polymer and resin.

The stunning 'Cloud Gate' (top) and 'Sky Mirror' (above) never fail to impress even the most hardened art-skeptic

In my view, Mr Kapoor's makes the strongest impact when the nature of his work is a public art project and the scale, ambitious. The 'Cloud Gate', a mammoth 100-ton plus stainless steel sculpture which was unveiled at the Millennium Park in Chicago in 2004 is a classic example. Something that I must point our about this work in particular is that it was created and installed largely on private funding. It is high time our corporate establishments and HNIs step forward and commission such public art projects. Not only will they be beautifying their surroundings, cities and town squares of their choice but also erecting a monument which will stand as a testament proving their commitment to the promotion of art.

Another phenomenal piece of public art created by him is the 'Sky Mirror', a 35-foot-diameter concave mirror made of shiny stainless steel, one of which is installed at the Rockefeller Center and the second one outside the theatre in Wellington Circus, Nottingham. The mirror, made of has been placed at an angle towards the sky and offers a brilliant reflection.

While I could relentlessly go on about the benefits of public art (something sorely lacking in our country), it must be stated that it is practioners like Mr Kapoor who can get the entire community involved with a work of art. While he is popular with the everyman on the street, his auction records also prove that he is highly sought-after. An alabaster sculpture by Mr Kapoor sold for USD 2.5 million in a sale in December 2007, making him the sixth most expensive contemporary sculptor in the world.

The title work of the show 'Past, Present, Future', 2006

The month of June serves up a double-whammy for Kapoor fans. His works are currently on show in 2 major shows in the US. The first, a exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston titled 'Anish Kapoor: Past, Present, Future' showcases his works over the last two decades. There are a total of 14 works, the earliest of which belongs the phase when he began to approach the tricky area of scale. Amongst the works on display, the title piece, a large dome which has been winning the praises of all visitors. This massive work, measuring 25' across has been created in a red wax and creates an imposing vision. Adding to the drama is a semi-circular blade-like object which brushes along the surface of the work, shaving off tiny splinters of wax from along the surface of the work, thus redefining its very existence.

'Past, Present, Future' On till the beginning of September at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston.

The second feature for Mr Kapoor is the double-show at the both the Gladstone Galleries in New York. In fact, this show will mark the inauguration of dealer Barbara Gladstone's second space in NY. The shows feature a suite of new works in stainless steel, fibre-glass and resin. The first show ends in mid-June while the second show will continue till mid-August.

At the Gladstone Gallery, 24th Street, 515 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011 USA Ph 212-206-9300