Works by Jitish Kallat, Bhupen Khakhar, Sabavala and Krishen Khanna

The latest Indian art Auction by Sotheby’s includes exciting works by the likes of late Bhupen Khakhar, Jehangir Sabavala and senior master Krishen Khanna, apart from significant works by top contemporary artists like Jitish Kallat.

Done in 1972, Bhupen Khakhar’s 'Air, Steam and Speed' (price estimate: £100,000-150,000), makes its appearance on the market for the first time in over 30 years from an English collection. While in London, he formed an eminent artistic circle of friends, which included David Hockney and Sir Howard Hodgkin. These relationships influenced more and more of his paintings at the time. He often used multiple narrative episodes across a single picture plane.

The artist chose to portray ironic depictions of social types, mocking the tastes and aspirations of the Indian middle-class. He was one of the first artists from India to be celebrated in the West with major museum exhibitions and retrospectives at the Tate in Britain and the Museo Nacional Centre de Arte Reina Sophia in Madrid. On the other hand, Jehangir Sabavala’s Untitled of 1977 is coming to auction for the first time (price estimate of £100,000-150,000). His oeuvre is unique amongst Indian artists practicing during the Modernist era. The sky and sea dominate the subject matter of his canvases from this period.

A painting by senior master Krishen Khanna is being offered for the first time at auction for an estimate of £100,000-150,000. Acquired directly from the artist, this moving and emotional Pieta from 1978 is painted with subtle hues of blues and ochres. The expressionistic brushstrokes and Khanna's mastery of light and tonality imbues the work with an otherworldly aura reminiscent of Dutch Master Paintings.

Jitish Kallat’s seminal work ‘Conditions Apply’ has been exhibited as far and wide as Beijing and South Korea. Conceived between 2004 and 2006 (price estimate: £80,000-120,000), it comprises a series of images of rotis (daily bread) been eaten away to imitate the different phases of the moon. This alludes to both the earning of daily bread and the fast of Ramadan, the conclusion of which relies upon the sighting of the new moon.