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.

Written by EXPRESS FEATURES SERVICE
February 1, 2012 02:12 AM IST

1 min read

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. Saffronarts Inaugural Auction of Impressionist and Modern Art,to be held on February 15 and 16,will include 73 works by 35 artists,highlighted by Goghs 1885 masterpiece,Lallée 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 Picassos 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.