MUMBAI.- Saffronart’s Summer Online Auction 2024 will take place online on 26–27 June 2024 with a catalogue of 130 lots by prominent modern and contemporary South Asian artists. These include early paintings by S H Raza, Ram Kumar, and M F Husain, as well as significant works by Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, F N Souza, Nalini Malani, Arpita Singh, and Subodh Gupta, many of which belong to reputed private collections in India and internationally.

Leading the 24-hour sale is Untitled (Village), 1956, (lot 29, estimate: USD 400,000 - 600,000, INR 3.32 - 4.98 crores) by S H Raza which captures the unique landscape of Southern France, with homes perched on hills that appear to rise straight up from the sea, and reflects his search for a new artistic idiom during his time in France. It exemplifies Raza's painterly focus on construction and emotive use of colour during this decade, which was informed just as much by the works of Cézanne and Van Gogh as it was by the Pahari and Rajasthani miniatures of India. The work was painted during a period when he began receiving international recognition for his work, including winning the 1956 Prix de la Critique award and being invited to exhibit at the Venice Biennale.

Also included in the sale are works by Gulam Mohammed Sheikh and Nalini Malani from the Kavas Bharucha Family Collection. Kavas, the former MD of Colour Chem. Ltd., and his wife Khorshed shared a fervent passion for art and have built a carefully distilled collection of works by M F Husain, Ram Kumar, F N Souza, and Arpita Singh among many others. Talisman: Taveez, 2001, by Gulam Mohammed Sheikh (lot 64, estimate: INR 3 - 5 crores; USD 361,450 - 602,410) is likely one of the last works that the artist painted in oil before he began experimenting with digital technology and other media from the 2000s onwards. The canvas references diverse artistic traditions spanning the 5th century BC to the present day and exemplifies Sheikh’s lifelong commitment to the exploration of syncretism and cultural multiplicity in his work, examined through the lens of art history, religious iconography, and his own lived experience. In Bloodlines, 1993-94, Nalini Malani (lot 65, estimate: INR 30,00,000 - 50,00,000; USD 36,145 - 60,245) brings together a cast of characters from various realms in a dreamlike tableau.

The auction features multiple works by F N Souza in honour of his birth centenary, including the artist’s iconic ‘heads’ and striking landscapes, genres that together formed the cornerstones of his oeuvre. Among these is Red Landscape, 1989, (lot 81, estimate: Rs 4 - 6 crores; USD 481,930 - 722,895), which demonstrates his command over form and space and underscores his reputation as a prodigious draughtsman. The work is built up entirely in bold, energetic strokes of paint that create a masterful tension between nature and the built environment. Untitled (Head of a Man), 1957, (lot 78; estimate: USD 20,000 - 30,000; INR 16,60,000 - 24,90,000) bears several stylistic features characteristic of Souza’s ‘heads’, which are among his most important figurative works that he used as a conduit to express a scathing social commentary on human nature.

Among contemporary works that go under the hammer is Curry 2 (2), 2005 by Subodh Gupta (lot 122, estimate: INR 1 - 1.50 crores; USD 120,485 - 180,725), an installation of stainless steel utensils, similar to the open-shelved utensil storage spaces commonly seen in Indian kitchens. By bringing out the quintessential Indian utensil from its culinary sanctum to the public eye, Gupta asks us to dwell on the habits it enables us to cultivate and their social, cultural, and political connotations.

The sale also features Untitled (Village Scenes), 1958, (lot 55, estimate: USD 500,000 - 700,000; INR 4.15 - 5.81 crores) a monumental canvas by M F Husain spanning nearly 8 feet. The work illustrates his fascination with rural Indian life and exemplifies the new style he developed during the 1950s, which blended simple classical and folk forms and flat planes of bold colour. Other significant lots include Untitled, a 2007 metascape by Akbar Padamsee (lot 33; estimate: USD 200,000 - 300,000, INR 1.66 - 2.49 crores); Untitled, 1979, by S H Raza (lot 30, estimate: USD 180,000 - 220,000; INR 1.49 - 1.82 crores) which belongs to an important period in the artist’s stylistic evolution when he began introducing geometry and iconography to his practice; Untitled, 1999, (lot 105, estimate: USD 200,000 - 300,000, INR 1.66 - 2.49 crores) by Arpita Singh; and Gaja Gamini, 1999, by M F Husain (lot 85, estimate: INR 1.50 - 1.80 crores; USD 180,725 - 216,870).

Dinesh Vazirani, Saffronart CEO and Co-Founder said, “Several of our leading lots from our upcoming Summer Online Auction represent significant phases in each artist’s career and are made even more compelling by their exceptional provenance. Untitled (Village), a 1956 work by S H Raza exemplifies his focus on construction and powerful use of colour that was informed by both his exposure to the likes of Van Gogh and Cézanne on moving to France in 1950 as well as the Pahari and Rajasthani miniatures that he had closely studied in India. Talisman: Taveez, 2001, by Gulam Mohammed Sheikh marks the start of a new phase in the artist’s career where he began experimenting with rich, trans-historical imagery as well as digital technology to produce important bodies of work such as his Talisman, Mappamundi, Kaavad, and Ark series. With a catalogue that features a wide selection of modern and contemporary paintings, drawings, sculptures, and installations, the auction is a great opportunity for seasoned and first-time collectors to acquire some of the best that South Asian art has to offer.”