Works by Bharti Kher, Atul Dodiya and more at upcoming contemporary Indian art sale

The presented lots in the auction include works from leading artists from the contemporary segment, says Ankita Talreja, Contemporary Indian Art- Senior Specialist, AstaGuru.Also part of the sale will be one of Ravinder Reddys iconic head sculptures. It is estimated at Rs 40-50 lakh.An Untitled 1996 ceramic sculpture from legendary artist Mrinalini Mukherjee is another important artwork in the sale.

Artworks by leading Indian contemporary artists including Ravinder Reddy, Bharti Kher and Mrinalini Mukherjee will go under the hammer at what is believed to be “India’s largest contemporary Indian art auction”, a statement from AstaGuru said on Tuesday. The sale titled “Present Future” by online auction house AstaGuru will feature 120 works of art by 85 Indian artists. It is scheduled to be held on September 28-29.

The lots on sale will comprise works across mediums, ranging from paintings and drawings to sculptures and installations that represent the prevalent trends, while giving insight into the future of contemporary art. Leading the sale is a work by renowned artist Bharti Kher titled ‘An Eye, A Tooth’ — a diptych wooden panel work with contrasting black and red bindis. Referencing the third eye that women wear on their foreheads, Kher’s iconic bindi artworks result from a meticulous and layered placing of the bindi on the surface. The artwork, executed in the year 2011, is estimated at Rs 1.10-1.20 crore.

Another key work in the sale will be Anju Dodiya’s “Hauberk”. The double-panelled work that was a part of her seminal 2007 solo exhibition ‘Throne Of Frost’ at Baroda’s Lakshmi Vilas is expected to Rs 10-15 lakh.

“Contemporary art in India is expanding phenomenally with a constant influx of unprecedented creativity and experimentation. The artists today are using various styles, mediums, and techniques to express themselves. And this trend has indeed intrigued collectors to acquire art that defines the present. “The auction showcases the best creations stemming from the contemporary Indian art landscape. The presented lots in the auction include works from leading artists from the contemporary segment,” says Ankita Talreja, Contemporary Indian Art- Senior Specialist, AstaGuru.

Also part of the sale will be one of Ravinder Reddy’s iconic head sculptures. Executed in 1990-91, the ’Untitled’ sculpture is a graceful larger than life rendering of the female form with sharp penetrating eyes that is a perspicuous trope in the artist’s practice. It is estimated at Rs 40-50 lakh.

An ‘Untitled’ 1996 ceramic sculpture from legendary artist Mrinalini Mukherjee is another important artwork in the sale. Mukherjee’s experiments with ceramic started in the mid-1990s and she created a substantial body of work in the medium before moving on to bronze sculptures in the early 2000s. The presented lot, with an estimate of Rs 15-20 lakh, was executed while she was at the European Ceramic Work Centre in the Netherlands. Other featured works include a sculpture by renowned contemporary artist L N Tallur (Rs 10 - 15 lakh), a wall-mounted creation by Rana Begum (Rs 15-18 lakh), a striking painting titled “Somnium Genero Anima - Turbo 7” by Thukral and Tagra (Rs 15-18 lakh), an ‘Untitled’ work by Jitish Kallat (Rs 20 - 25 lakh), an oil paint and beeswax on canvas work by Atul Dodiya (Rs 15 - 20 lakh) among others.