Amrita Sher-gil’s portray “The Story Teller” has grow to be the most costly work of an Indian artist ever, a title earlier held by Sayed Haider Raza’s “Gestation”. The 1937 paintings fetched a whopping Rs 61.8 crore at Saffronart’s “Night Sale: Fashionable Artwork” in New Delhi.
Hungarian-Indian painter Sher-gil is called one of many biggest avant-garde painters of the early twentieth century. “The Story Teller” was among the many 70-plus artwork items by eminent artists, together with MF Husain, VS Gaitonde, Jamini Roy and FS Souza, featured within the public sale.
Final month, Raza’s 1989 “Gestation”, additionally an oil-on-canvas portray, was bought at Rs 51.75 crore by Pundole’s public sale home in Mumbai.
“We’re delighted to have set a number of artist information at our Night Sale in New Delhi this September. Most importantly, the report value achieved by Amrita Sher-Gil’s ‘The Story Teller’ is a vital milestone within the Indian artwork market and a testomony to the artist’s immense talent and enduring legacy as one in every of India’s artwork treasures,” stated Dinesh Vazirani, chief govt officer (CEO) and co-founder of Saffronart, as reported by PTI.
“The Story Teller”, touted to be among the many 12 works chosen by Sher-Gil herself as her most necessary works, is extensively thought-about an instance of the artist’s most sincere and expressive compositions.
The dominant topics for the eminent artist have been ladies, primarily as a result of she might lend her empathetic self most simply to their situation. The portray was first exhibited at Sher-Gil’s profitable solo exhibition at Faletti’s Resort, Lahore, in November 1937.
Her different well-known portraits of girls embody “Three Ladies”, “Ladies on the Charpai”, “Hill Ladies”, and “Younger Ladies”.
Who was Amrita Sher-gil?
Born to an Indian father and a Hungarian mom on January 30, 1913, in Budapest, Hungary, Sher-Gil got here to be generally known as one of many biggest avant-garde ladies artists for her oeuvre. From the early age of 5, Sher-Gil immersed herself in drawing and portray with watercolour. Her early works consisted of vibrant illustrations of Hungarian fairy tales with charming characters. In 1921, the Sher-Gil household returned to India and settled in Shimla.
It was there that she honed her observational expertise, capturing the essence of these round her by meticulous sketches. She died on the younger age of 28 in 1941. In 1976, she was declared one in every of India’s 9 “Nationwide Artwork Treasure” artists by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Moreover Sher-Gil, the public sale smashed just a few different information as nicely. For example, famend painter and artwork educator KK Hebbar’s 1959 untitled work, bought for Rs 2.64 crore — greater than seven occasions its larger estimate — made a world report for the best value achieved by the artist globally.
It additionally witnessed the sale of Raza’s monumental work “Earth” for Rs 19.2 crore, early expressionist Tyeb Mehta’s “Crimson Determine” for Rs 9 crore and FN Souza’s “Caribbean Palm” for Rs 4.56 crore.
(With company inputs)
