By IANS
New Delhi : It was a feast for art lovers here as auction house Christie’s presented 25 paintings and photographs by some of India’s best known artists like Tyeb Mehta and Bhupen Khakhar at an exclusive preview here.
The preview, held Thursday and Friday at the Imperial Hotel, was that of modern and contemporary South Asian art that is to be auctioned at the Christie’s sales in New York and Dubai in autumn between Sep 20 and Nov 1.
Touching upon various themes, ranging from politics, religion and spirituality to history and landscape, the paintings and photographs made for eclectic viewing.
While there were paintings by masters like Mehta, Khakhar and Atul Dodiya, there were others like Anish Kapoor and Ashim Kayastha whose works were featured at the preview for the first time but nevertheless generated a lot of interest.
“We are showcasing just 25 paintings in the preview while the actual auction will have 144 bodies of work. There are two main auctions of Christie’s in New York for which we have one preview, in March, in Mumbai, and the other, now, in Delhi,” Ganieve Grewal, the Christie’s representative in India, told IANS.
“We get a very good response in both the previews, hence we are encouraged to come here again and again. Not only from the metros, but people from smaller towns have also started expressing a great amount of interest in art.”
Among the photographs was a collage of hand-pumps by Atul Bhalla, set in different places and localities of India and depicting the lifestyle there. The photographs subtly juxtaposed the sense of modernity provided by the hand-pump meant to draw water with the filthy surroundings, making a mockery of the situation.
Besides, Christie’s for the first time also had a preview of their watches. Set in white gold, diamonds and other precious stones, the 37 watches that were showcased, the price ranging between $40,000 to $2,280,000.
In art, Khakhar’s “I, Me, My Village” was estimated at $200,000 to $250,000. In this famed piece of work, the artist melds imagery from popular Indian religious media, set design and Indian miniature paintings.
Then there was Mehta’s very well known piece, “Mahishasura”, Dodiya’s “Three Painters” and Arpita Singh’s “The Eternal Repose”.
“Christie’s is the only international auction house that has had a presence in India for more than a decade now which testifies to our belief in the incredible influence of the country, its art and market,” said Hugo K. Weihe, senior vice president, Christie’s, and international specialist head, Indian and Southeast Asian art.