Under the Hammer

Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso are among the Western Masters who will go under the hammer for the first time in an Indian auction. Saffronart’s ‘Inaugural Auction of Impressionist and Modern Art’,to be held on February 15 and 16,will include 73 works by 35 artists,highlighted by Gogh’s 1885 masterpiece,L’allée Aux Deux Promeneurs (Lane with Two Figures). This landscape,estimated at $800,000-1million (approx Rs 4 crore),was painted in 1885 when Gogh was 32 and was obsessively recording his surroundings.

Another important work is Picasso’s oil,Le Transformateur,which depicts his villa in the small town of Vallauris in south France. Picasso had already become famous and was enjoying a stable and happy family life. He continued to paint and draw with passion,depicting his wife and children but also including the lush surroundings near his villa.

The auction will take place on http://www.saffronart.com,and a selection of lots will be previewed at Saffronart’s gallery in Mumbai on February 9.