2022 Ends on a Strong Note for AstaGuru Auction House With Their Newest 'Historic Masterpieces' Auction

The recent 'Historic Masterpieces' auction held by AstaGuru Auction House was a remarkable success. Hemendranath Mazumdar, F.N. Souza, S.H. Raza, Jehangir Sabavala, M.F. Husain, Akbar Padamsee, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Krishen Khanna, Jogen Chowdhury, Prabhakar Barwe, K.G. Subramnathan, Ram Kumar, J. Swaminathan, Somnath Hore, Satish Gujral, N.S Several of these pieces appeared at auction for the first time, with Bikash Bhattacharjee's 'Resuscitative Mythic Man' beating the artist's previous record with a selling price of INR 1,96,52,052. The auction's overall sales value was an amazing INR 45,01,27,041.

The Vice President of Client Relations of AstaGuru Sale House, Sneha Gautam, commented, "We are really pleased with the results of the 'Historic Masterpieces' auction. With the carefully picked collection, we planned to examine works by renowned Indian modernists with extraordinary pedigree. These works give not just an in-depth examination of the history of contemporary Indian art, but also a range of distinctive and characteristic styles by artists of tremendous importance. The outcome of the auction demonstrates that the art market is thriving with new and seasoned collectors seeking to add distinctive and unusual pieces to their collections."

'The Castle' by F. N. Souza, lot number 18, dominated the auction. This piece is not only significant because to its legendary lineage, but also a superb illustration of Souza's expanding career and aesthetic style. After years of arduous work, he began this painting on the heels of his early success. Harold Kovner, a New York art collector, was one of the first supporters of Souza's work. This 1957 oil painting on masonite board was purchased for INR 4,55,400,000.

A painting by the renowned Bengali artist Hemendranath Mazumdar was sold for INR 3,69,76,907. This masterwork by Hemendranath Mazumdar depicting the eternal picture of Radha and Krishna exemplifies the artist's drive in terms of both skill and subject matter. This painting, executed in 1940 using oil on canvas, debuted at auction for the first time.

Four pieces by the renowned artist S.H. Raza also emerged as the auction's highlight. Lot no. 10, named 'The Invisible Cross,' is a notable piece in S.H. Raza's oeuvre since it was created at a transitional era of his career, which saw a shift in topic, style, and medium, and marked the beginning of an innovative painting period. This 1970 oil on canvas painting was also included in the 2016 publication 'S H Raza: Catalogue Raisonné 1958 – 1971 (Vol 1)' by Vadehra Art Gallery and The Raza Foundation, New Delhi. It was purchased for the sum of INR 3,44,39,625. The artist created lot number 13, an unnamed piece, while living in France. During this time, S. H. Raza established his own painting personality and style. The displayed 1956 work, placed against a blazingly brilliant backdrop, contrasts with the dark tones that define the landscape below. It was sold for a price of 3,289,000 Indian Rupees.

A beautiful example of S.H. Raza's 'Bindu' series of works, lot no. 17, which also debuted at auction for the first time, went for INR 2,226,400. Lot 33, named 'Bhoomi,' was produced with acrylic on canvas in 1987, on the verge of 'Bindu' being the focal point of Raza's work. The painting's rich colour tones reflect the artist's profound grasp of his own region, which is reflected in his in-depth knowledge of central India's diverse landscape. It was included in the exhibition named 'Raza - Rendezvous: A collection of Works from 1940 – 2000' at www.theartstrust.com and will be published by The Arts Trust, Mumbai, in 2020. It was bought for a price of 2,254,2300 INR.

Lot number 35, titled 'The Tree,' was produced in 1985 by the artist Prabhakar Barwe using enamel on canvas. The composition of Prabhakar Barwe's surreal artwork was founded on his exhaustive research into the principles of art, such as the relationship between space and form and the essence of colour. This job yielded a total of INR 2,75,51,700 in revenue.

Lot 20 by Akbar Padamsee, titled 'Landscape,' symbolises a pivotal moment in his creative development. One may detect a unique colour composition trend, which continues into subsequent years; nonetheless, the structure of the work from this time is poetic in character, in contrast to the lyrical basis of his metascapes. It was executed in 1963 using oil on canvas and sold for INR 2,50,47,000.

A piece by the renowned artist K.G. Subramanyan, lot number 34, was also on display during the auction. It is one of the biggest paintings by renowned artist K.G. Subramanyan and is titled 'Pastoral' The appropriately named triptych depicts several rural views in rich detail, demonstrating the artist's inspirations, methods, and preferred topics. It was purchased at a cost of INR 2,25,02,850.

The amazing piece 'Resuscitative Mythic Man' by Bikash Bhattacharjee, lot number 16, was purchased for INR 1,96,52,052. In 1968, this piece was shown in an exhibition named "Indian Section: First Triennale, India" at Rabindra Bhavan and the National Gallery of Modern Art. It was also included in an important book titled Works of Bikash Bhattacharjee: Close to Events. This art debuted for the first time at auction.

All statistics include the auction house's commission.