South Asian Modern & Contemporary Art auction by Christie’s

Over 100 works of art by modern masters like F N Souza, MF Husain and alongside several big names in contemporary Indian art, including Subodh Gupta, Atul Dodiya and Rashid Rana will feature in a sale later this month.

The sales are expected to realize a sum well in excess of $10 million. Christie’s much awaited South Asian Modern & Contemporary Art auction on 15 September comprise these carefully chosen works from top 20th and 21st century artists from South Asia. For example, there is Raza’s ‘La Terre’ (1985) (estimated value: $2,000,000-2,500,000) that leads the sale.

It’s a masterpiece from a key period in his career that integrates vital elements of the artist’s Indian heritage. Another highlight of the sales is Souza’s Untitled work (Large Head) from 1962 (estimated value: $1,200,000-1,800,000). The visionary head denotes Souza at his creative best; it’s comprised of fantastical organic as well as mechanical elements such as parts in a clock.

Husain’s Untitled work (sitar player at estimated value of $350,000-500,000) reflects the inspiration he draws from the intriguing inter-disciplinary nature of dance, painting, film, music, and sculpture. The work depicts his masterly synthesis of a very Indian subject into a modern artistic idiom.

The auction will feature a wide selection of contemporary artworks from the region. Subodh Gupta’s ‘Two Cows’ (estimated value: $280,000-350,000) is another highlight in the sale. In this work, the artist combines day-to-day utilities familiar to both urban and rural echelons of our society. The simple bicycle and Stainless steel containers are ubiquitous objects that epitomize his ability to find irony and tension in the mundane.

His another featured work is ‘Densely Packed’, 2004 (estimated value: $250,000-300,000)in which he documents the daily scene of the bazaars through a quasi-photo realistic rendition of a ubiquitous vessel stall, deftly recasting an ensemble of Indian culture’s traditional objects. Then there is Atul Dodiya’s ‘Kalki’, 2002 (estimated value: $180,000-250,000)apart from other significant works by Anju Dodiya, Manjit Bawa, etc.