MUMBAI.- Prinseps are set to host their upcoming Modern Art Auction on 6 July at 7pm. The auction brings together a selection of highly researched and documented artworks by renowned modernists including M.F Husain, Manjit Bawa, Bhupen Khakhar, Prabhakar Barwe and Bikash Bhattacherjee amongst others.

The auction is led by Manjit Bawa’s iconic painting, Lady with Bird, 1999 (Lot 21, estimate INR 1,50,00,000 - 2,50,00,000). The painting depicts a simple figure of a woman holding a bird and is remarkable for its use of bright pastel colors and the interplay between the figures limbs, anatomy and space. The painting is an exemplary example of an artist whose work is rarely seen at auction.

Alongside this, Prabhakar Barwe’s Whispering Green (Lot 9, estimate INR 50,00,000 - 75,00,000) is a vivid mixed media on canvas painted by the artist in 1974. Barwe used matchsticks to create a uniform abstract design set against a smooth green background. The work has been consigned by the late Arun Kumar Das, a great friend of Barwe, alongside 14 other works. Accompanying the catalogue note is an interview with Arun Kumar Das in which he fondly recalls his first meeting with Barwe during the 70’s and their prolonged conversations about life and paintings.




Other works of note include, Lot 23 an early untitled work by M.F. Husain c.1950 (estimate INR 45,00,000 - 60,00,000). The painting highlights Husain’s artistic strength during his formative years and the catalogue note is accompanied by Ashvin E. Rajagopalan’s essay The King of Hearts examining Husain’s early years leading up to the work. Lot 20, Bikash Bhatacharjee’s untitled, 1992, (estimate INR 15,00,000-20,00,000) demonstrates the artist's preoccupation with female beauty through textural effects of crayon and pencil on canvas. Lot 28, Pradosh Dasgupta’s Lovers, 1978 (estimate INR 4,00,000-6,00,000) offers a defining piece of Indian sculpture from one of Bengal’s great 20th century artists, reminiscent of a time when modern Indian art was radically breaking free of its earlier colonial and nationalist roots. Lot 40 offers a diary written by Ganesan Pyne, circa 1995 (estimate INR 40,00,000-60,00,000) the text offers an insight into Pyne's thoughts, musings, and motivations quintessential to his artistic oeuvre. The diary also includes extensive inventory of sales made in the late 90s.

Prinseps will also offer 4 lots from which they will donate 100% of the proceeds to the Masina Hospital in Mumbai and The Welfare of Stray Dogs. These include lot 17, Untitled by M. Suriyamoorthy, 1964 (estimate INR 40,000-70,000), lot 18, Untitled by Sunil Madhav Sen (estimate INR 50,000-70,000), lot 19, Untitled by Amina Kar (estimate INR 25,000-50,000) and lot 22, Famine by Gobardhan Ash, 1943 (estimate INR 50,000-70,000).

Having hosted multiple auctions, Prinseps continues to foster research and discovery as their principal foundation whilst bringing together the works of leading artists from the modern and contemporary art sphere.

Speaking about Prinseps upcoming Modern Art Auction, the curator Indrajit Chatterjee notes “We are delighted to be able to present an exciting collection of works for our Modern Art Auction, alongside many fantastic works Manjit Bawa’s ‘Lady’ stands out as one of the finest works by an artist renowned for his vibrant colours. We are also pleased to continue presenting key research into Indian Modernism, and alongside the 43 lots, our catalogue presents essays by Anjum Siddiqui, Ashvin E Rajagopalan, Ranjit Hoskote, and an interview with Arun Kumar Das on Prabhakar Barwe”.

Following the Modern Art Auction, Prinseps are hosting a series of auctions throughout the summer period including The Nationalism Book Auction - consisting of rare and undocumented books printed in India between the 1920’s to the 1960’s which is now open for proxy bidding. Followed by the book launch, the summer auction season will witness an extraordinary NFT auction of artworks by the radical 1950s artist Gobardhan Ash, from his ‘Avatars’ series. Later in the Summer Prinseps will also be offering a rare auction of Bhanu Athaiya’s sarees alongside a selection of NFTs based on her drawings and sketches.