Indian art patron Ute Rettberg auctions her collection
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Loading... - Disha Agarwal
- 07 Jun 2022
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Even in a quiet season for the world of visual arts such as this one, some low-profile yet important auctions are piquing the interest of connoisseurs, achieving noteworthy prices, and assuring the fraternity that irrespective of the state of the world ec
Even in a quiet season for the world of visual arts such as this one, some low-profile yet important auctions are piquing the interest of connoisseurs, achieving noteworthy prices, and assuring the fraternity that irrespective of the state of the world economy, high-quality works of art will always find discerning buyers.
The most recent auction that brought spotlight on artists who are greatly respected and collected, though not superstars of the field, was the sale titled 'The Surya Collection: Property from Ute Rettberg', held by Sotheby's in London on May 31. Featuring an eclectic mélange of modern Indian art, the auction presented works by artists such as Ambadas, Devayani and Kanwal Krishna, Sohan Qadri, Himmat Shah, Badri Narayan, Surya Prakash, K Laxma Goud, Jyoti Bhatt, PT Reddy, and Laxman Pai to name a few. While these names do not have the star power commanded by MF Husain or SH Raza, they are true hotshots within the art industry and are as respected as their much-fêted peers.
Uniquely Indian Modernists An important highlight of the exhibition was The Closed Membranes of Silence, an oil on canvas by Ambadas (1922-2012) - who had dropped his surname Khobragade and preferred to be known by his first name only. This oil was painted in 1965, the year when Ambadas, a pioneering abstractionist, held his first solo show in New Delhi. According to Sotheby's, this work was acquired by Ute Rettberg from gallerist Kekoo Gandhy, starting what came to be known as the Rettberg Collection. It would eventually give rise to the Surya Galerie in Freinsheim near Frankfurt in Germany, in the German connoisseur's home. Ambadas would go on to become one of the most successful artists sold by Surya Galerie, even as he would subsequently leave India in 1972 and settle down in Oslo, Norway.
The Closed Membranes of Silence was estimated at £12,000 – £18,000 and was eventually sold for £27,720 (Rs 27.03 lakh). An abstract creation by one of India's highly individual modernists, this large work encapsulates the seed of what would come to be recognised as Ambadas' signature - flat squiggles of paint floating across a canvas in a rhythmic pattern, often evoking philosophical landscapes of his growing up years in India, and later, in colours more in tandem with the cooler climes of his adopted home. Read More...
