Discernible art lovers now have an opportunity to own rare works of the who’s who of the Indian art world. An auction titled Pre-Independence, Modern and Contemporary Masters organised by Art Bull will be held at Hotel ITC Maurya here on February 22.
Artworks of Rabindranath Tagore and M. F. Husain will go under the hammer. Paintings, sculpture and drawings are on display at the Art Bull Gallery in Lado Sarai here till February 20.
Curator Kiran Mohan said art dealers and some from the collection of Siddhartha Tagore will be auctioned. “A major part of the auction includes works by masters from Bengal. We have masters from Bengal like Rabindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, Abanindranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose. Works of M. F. Husain, Raza and Souza are also there. There is an early work by Rameshwar Broota. So this collection has works from a diverse range of artists who have enriched Indian art.”
The total number of works to go under the hammer is 88. “Artworks have been selected keeping in mind the taste and affordability to suit all types of art lovers.”
According to Art Bull director Siddhartha Tagore, despite the recession, these are uplifting times for the auction scenario.
“Over the years, buyers and clients have always asked us why do people buy art. For the rush of acquisition, the pleasure of exercising good taste, maybe. But we feel they also crave a piece of that ephemeral, fiery thing – the force that goes into the creation of that work of art, the power that separates artists from us mere human beings – inspiration or genius, the heavenly muse. When we look at a Gaitonde, we know for certain that it is the quasi-mystical quality of the artwork that persuades collectors to delve deep into their pockets.”
Pointing out that the recession and the post recession period have made the buyer wiser, Mr. Tagore said they have become selective in their choice of artworks. “They like to stay well informed about the background and history of a particular artwork. This in turn leads to a chain reaction that affects galleries and consultants.”
