In another initiative by artists to support the people whose lives were devastated in the recent natural disaster in the State, a sale of original paintings and sculptures got under way near the Museum bandstand.
Works by nearly 85 artists, including renowned names such as Kanayi Kunhiraman, Kattoor Narayana Pillai, B.D. Dethan, Nemom Pushparaj, Sajitha Shankar, Aryanad Rajendran, N.N. Rimzon, and others, done at a two-day camp held in the city earlier this month were put on sale by Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and the Adoor-based Sapgreen artists’ group in association with the Museum and Zoo Department.
Nearly 200 paintings will be up for sale till Sunday, at ₹1,500 each. Some 100 paintings, already sold, are also on display.
Sapgreen secretary R. Satheesh said all the paintings, even those by the masters, had been priced at ₹1,500. The funds raised will be donated to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) , Mr. Satheesh said.
Mr. Dethan said the initiative was laudable as anyone who wished to paint was welcome at the camp, and the paintings by popular and not-so-popular artistes were all being sold at ₹1,500.
Among the works on display is a sketch by sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman of sound designer Resul Pookutty who had dropped in at the camp. The sketch was sold to Mr. Pookutty himself to mark the inaugural sale.
Some of the paintings depict natural disasters and the havoc they wreak.
Sculptures by Mr. Rajendran and Raja Ravi Varma award-winner Anila Jacob and a gold nano sculpture of Nataraja by Ganesh Subramaniam are available for sale.
Mr. Pushparaj said the artists, even the top ones, had not charged anything for their paintings.
An amount of ₹10 lakh had been raised through the sale of paintings. An exhibition was also under way in Kozhikode simultaneously, he said.
