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A 1958 untitled work by modernist painter V S Gaitonde will go under the hammer at Saffronart’s annual Summer Online Auction on June 12–13 that will offer 120 works by leading modern and contemporary artists.
Gaitonde’s painting, estimated at Rs 4 – 6 crore, features a vibrant red canvas with fragmented planes, and was created when the artist first began veering into a “non-objective” mode of painting.
Another untitled oil on canvas by Gaitonde, painted over a decade later in 1970 is also part of the sale. Estimated at Rs 12.42 – 16.56 crore, it is painted in an earthy colour palette with the artist’s trademark calligraphic forms floating on the canvas, providing an ethereal quality to the work.
The sale also features two more works by Gaitonde from pivotal periods in his artistic career.
F N Souza’s Untitled (Hampstead) from 1964 is a rare work that has never been seen before in public, and was likely gifted by the artist to Reeves, a London-based artists’ paint company in exchange for using their paint products.
Estimated at Rs 1.72 – 2.41 crore, this “restless landscape” belongs to a highly lucrative period in Souza’s career, embodying the apocalyptic vision that dominated his paintings in post-war London in the 1960s.
The work remained in Reeves’ collection until it was eventually acquired by Colart, an international art supplies company.
“The highlights of our Summer Online Auction this year are rare, unseen works by V S Gaitonde and F N Souza, two of India’s leading modernists. These paintings represent significant milestones in the artists’ distinctive careers and belong to noteworthy collections, presenting a great opportunity for anyone looking to own a masterpiece,” Dinesh Vazirani, Saffronart CEO and co-founder said.
The auction will also feature other significant Indian contemporary artists, as well as artists from South Asia.
Tyeb Mehta’s ‘Reclining Figure with Bull’s Head’ (1963), representing the artist’s early exploration with form, colour, and texture, is expected to fetch Rs 4 – 6 crores.
The monumental work is an important precursor to Mehta’s seminal figurative works that he perfected in later years.
The catalogue also includes two works from S H Raza’s ‘Bindu’ series, a motif that became central to his paintings in later decades.
‘Bindu’ (1992) and ‘Nad-Bindu’ (2000) are estimated at Rs 1.1 – 1.24 crore, and Rs 70 – 90 lakh respectively.
The contemporary section includes works by prominent artists including Atul Dodiya and Jitish Kallat, who are part of the India Pavilion at the ongoing 58th Venice Biennale.
The auction also features a selection of sculptures by Satish Gujral, Himmat Shah, B Vithal, and B Prabha, as well as a thought-provoking installation, ‘Arabian Delight’ (2008) estimated at Rs 8.28 – 10.35 lakh, by Pakistan-born artist Huma Mulji.
Other South Asian artists featured in the auction include Imran Qureshi and Sri Lankan artists George Keyt and Senaka Senanayake.
The online auction will take place on saffronart.com and is preceded by viewings of select lots in New York, London, Mumbai and New Delhi.
