Jehangir Sabavala: Modern Indian art's self-effacing superstar

On 23 August, Indian art will mark the centenary of one of its most suave and sophisticated 'gentleman' artists, Jehangir Sabavala (1922-2011), which, in all likelihood, will be as quiet an affair as the low-profile brilliance of the artist in his lifetime.

A member of the top few who comprise the pointy apex of modern Indian art's pyramid, Sabavala the person was a study in understated elegance, just like his works, just like his exhibitions, and just like his record breaking showing at the auctions - his works created records but without an earth-shattering noise generally associated with the signatures of his other peers such as VS Gaitonde, SH Raza, FN Souza and MF Husain, among others.

Given the upcoming centenary of one of India's most seminal modernists, one of his works, 'Of Cloud and Air II' (1977), is an important highlight of the high-profile Evening Sale by Saffronart, to be held on 17 September in New Delhi. This oil on canvas is estimated between Rs 3.5 crore and Rs 4.5 crore (approx. $450,000 – $575,000). In a teaser comprising two highlights so far released by Saffronart, the other is a work titled 'Bindu' by S. H. Raza (1922-2016), another centenarian, which is estimated at Rs 3 crore – Rs 4 crore (approx. $384,620 – $ 512,825). This is a highly anticipated sale as it returns to New Delhi after a gap of three years; and forms one of the few top-notch sales of Indian art annually, the other being those hosted by Christie's and Sotheby's in September in New York each year.

Knowing Jehangir Sabavala

Born in a wealthy Parsi family of Bombay on 23 August, Sabavala studied at Elphinstone College, Bombay, and later graduated from the city's prestigious, Sir JJ School of Art, in 1944. He followed this up with education at some of the leading art schools of Europe, such as The Heatherly School of Art, London (1945-47), Académie André Lhote, Paris (1948-51), Académie Julian, Paris (1953-54), and Academie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris (1957).

Though Sabavala returned to Bombay after his education in London and Paris, he never became a part of the Progressive Artists' Group, which was the most important grouping of artists immediately after India's Independence in 1947. Sabavala, however, remained a highly active member of the larger art scene of Bombay, which was also the veritable art capital of India with its concentration of emerging wealth and buyers. Though not ascribing to any modernist trend of the time, Sabavala gradually carved a distinct identity for himself as an artist. His style came to be characterised by a few distinctive elements such as a muted colour palette and cubist landscapes, often mixed with academic and impressionistic elements. His career is often studied as a nebulous segregation into three distinct phases - between 1951 and 1964, he was devoted to the cubist style; from 1964 to 1976, he started exploring the landscape through a metaphysical lens; and from 1976 onwards, he experimented with spectral figures. Towards the last phase of his career, he also experimented with vibrant colours in a marked departure from his lifelong fascination with subdued tints.

For those not familiar with his works, a visit to Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya would be helpful as it houses the last of his six canvases, including an unfinished one, which his wife Shireen donated to the museum in 2015, four years after his passing on 2 September 2011. These six works

Sabavala at the auctions

Though Jehangir Sabavala remains outside the circle of instantly recognizable names of Indian art such as Souza, Raza and Husain, his art works have silently scaled the market charts alongside works of the other well-known masters.

At the auctions, one of his earliest big-ticket success was the sale of his 2002 acrylic on canvas work, titled 'The Casuarina Line I', that fetched Rs 1.68 crore ($374,900) at a Saffronart auction in June 2010. A serene green landscape in Sabavala's signature cubist strokes, it evokes a placid snapshot of all that is beautiful in nature. Another work from the series, 'The Casuarina Line II' - in signature neo-cubist style but in vivid reds and oranges in a marked departure from the majority of his life's work - was sold for Rs 4.82 crore (approx. $721,630), way above its highest pre-auction estimate, at Christie's India Sale in Mumbai in December 2015.

The above record was broken in a Christie's sale in September 2020, when the artist's 1981 oil on canvas, 'The Peasants', fetched $966,000 (approx. Rs 7.6 crore at today's rates), way above its highest pre-auction estimate of $600,000.

A similar price was achieved by his 1977 oil on canvas, 'Untitled', that was sold for $945,000 (approx. Rs 7.49 crore at today's rates), at a Sotheby's auction in New York in March, earlier this year. The most expensive Sabavala work, however, remains 'The Embarkation', a 1965 oil on canvas, that sold for a whopping $1,590,000 (approx. Rs 12.6 crore at today's rates), at a Christie's auction in New York in September 2021. It was a significant price band to hit for the work as its pre-auction estimate was between $300,000 – $500,000 (approx. Rs 2.3 crore – Rs 3.9 crore).

The top two Sabavala canvases by price - The Embarkation and The Peasants - are significant work from the artist's oeuvre. They both come from his most productive and artistically most evolved phase of his career, bearing mature forms of his signature style featuring muted colours and individuated neo-cubism. Such works from Sabavala's repertoire will always find eager buyers ready to dig deep into their pockets.

Though the artist was active till the very end of his life, the fact that he is no more, and no new works are ever going to appear under his signature, the increasing rarity of his works will see premium being added to his works that are available in the market. Works from the peak of his career will also not come easily to the auction table, adding to the rarity factor.

In the light of this analysis, any Sabavala work is likely to be chased heatedly as and when it appears in an auction. The forthcoming Saffronart sale, therefore, will be important to watch, for many reasons, not the least being for a Sabavala offering in his centenary year.

(The writer is a New Delhi-based journalist, editor and arts consultant.She blogs at www.archanakhareghose.com)