AstaGuru's Next Gen auction shines spotlight on rising stars of Indian art

In the universe of Indian art, the blitzkrieg of modern masters blinds and stuns, and leaves the connoisseurs in speechless awe. But alongside, the spotlight fails to extend its halo on contemporary masters, who are the haloed masters of tomorrow; in fact, some of them are revered already.

Last month’s big-ticket auctions of Indian art—in Mumbai and New York—again pushed full wattage spotlight on modern masters, by the end of which the names Raza, Souza, Husain, Khakhar, Sher-Gil, and their compatriots were almost like invisible yet conspicuous guests at your dining table, hogging all the conversation.

In this scenario, AstaGuru’s Next Gen Contemporary Art Auction, featuring more than 100 works by leading contemporary artists of the country, comes as a much-needed reprieve. To be held online on April 8-9 at www.astaguru.com, the auction is headlined by Anish Kapoor’s Untitled stainless steel and resin creation, that appears like a futuristic disc, which is estimated at Rs 5 crore – Rs 7 crore ($617,284 - $ 864,198).

Kapoor’s is the only lot in the auction that is estimated over the crore mark. While there are a few other lots that bear a high price, a bulk of works on offer are at price points that are comparatively affordable, targeted at young and new buyers. The next most expensive lot on offer is a 2007 sculpture by Subodh Gupta, Black Thing (Ed: 1-3), which is a stainless steel structure, also comprising plastic, and painted stainless steel pincers. It is estimated at Rs 60 lakh – Rs 80 lakh ($74,074 - $98,765).

A captivating oil on canvas by Nataraj Sharma, Tailor Ahmed 6th Main 36 Cross, which catches two tailors deeply engrossed in work in a tin-shed shop wedged between multi-storey houses on either side, is the next most expensive work on offer. It’s a beautiful work, estimated at Rs 30 lakh – Rs 40 lakh ($37,037 - $49,383).

There are fabulous works by many of India’s well-known contemporary artists such as Navjot Altaf, C. Douglas, Atul Dodiya, Sudhir Patwardhan, Surendran Nair, Ravinder Reddy, Rekha Rodwittiya, Bose Krishnamachari, GR Iranna, Jitish Kallat, Jagannath Panda, Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi, Prithpal Singh Ladi, B. Manjunath Kamath, Valay Shende, Baiju Parthan, Praneet Soi. Commenting on the auction, Ankita Talreja, AVP at AstaGuru Auction House, said, “This auction will be showcasing a diverse curation of works by both leading and upcoming artists in the contemporary Indian art space. These artists have been instrumental in voicing the passions and concerns of the current time, and reshaping how Indian art is seen today. Influenced by their cultural backgrounds and personal trials and tribulations, each work is a unique depiction of their artistic vision.”

It’s heartening to see works by two of India’s promising women artists both of whom, unfortunately, passed away young—Anjum Singh (1967-2020) and Hema Upadhyay (1972-2015).

Upadhyay’s mixed media work (acrylic, gouache, dry pastel, graphite and photographs on paper), Untitled, is estimated at Rs 10 lakh – Rs 15 lakh ($12,346 - $18,519), while Singh’s 1997 oil on canvas, Three Red Clouds Floating Together, is estimated at Rs 2 lakh – Rs 3 lakh ($2,469 - $3,704).

Atul Dodiya’s installation of the gallows, featuring a black noose, a painting and a mirror, is a rather thought-provoking work titled Devoured Darkness. Dated to 2006, it is estimated at Rs 20 lakh – Rs 30 lakh ($24,691 - $37,037). Similar price point is accorded to a quirky sculpture of a bunch of humans riding a giant tortoise, by Prithpal Singh Ladi (1955-2023). The Untitled work is made in fibreglass, aluminium, rope, glass, wood and paint.

Lot number 1 is an oil on canvas by Surendran Nair, Rainbows in Curved Air – Study for an Installation Elysium (Cuckoonebulopolis), 2010, which is estimated at Rs 15 lakh – Rs 20 lakh ($18,519 - $24,691). Another of his works, Untitled painting, but showing a crouching dog-like animal on a chair, with anthropomorphic features that are rather disturbing, and complete with a human moustache, is estimated at Rs 2 lakh – Rs 3 lakh ($2,469 - $3,704).

The now well-known and ubiquitous female bust, more than life-size and painted golden, for which Ravinder Reddy is most well-known, too is on offer at the auction. The artist has made several versions of this totally stunning sculpture and the one on offer at AstaGuru is Untitled (Head), bronze with gilded gold leaf and polychrome on metal base, estimated at Rs 12 lakh – Rs 16 lakh ($14,815 - $19,753).

Baiju Parthan’s acrylic on canvas from 2015, Legacy (Work/Force), in his signature strokes, is estimated at Rs 10 lakh – Rs 15 lakh ($12,346 - $18,519). Another of his works, an oil and acrylic on canvas from 2001, Ethnography – Spectacle and Artifice, showing two boxers in action in the ring is estimated at Rs 4 lakh – Rs 6 lakh ($4,938 - $7,407).

Shibu Natesan’s evocative mother-child painting, featuring a young boy huddled close to his well-wrapped up mother, is a watercolour work from 2005. It is estimated at Rs 5 lakh – Rs 6 lakh ($6,173 - $7,407).

Three of Valay Shende’s works in stainless steel discs are on offer, of which a charging bull is the most evocative. It is estimated at Rs 10 lakh – Rs 15 lakh ($12,346 - $18,519). The other two show a little girl with balloons (Rs 10 lakh – Rs 50 lakh) and a dolphin in action (Rs 6 lakh – Rs 8 lakh).

It would be impossible to give an exhaustive, if not complete, list of the lots on offer, but that would be beyond the scope of this write-up. Some other works that instantly catch the eye, include the following: Sudhir Patwardhan’s acrylic on canvas, New Factory at Ambernath (Rs 3 lakh – Rs 5 lakh); Ompal Sansanwal’s Untitled dream imagery, and another dream-like image by C. F. John, also Untitled (Rs 5 lakh – Rs 7 lakh each); Lekha Washington’s stainless steel installation, The Fallen (Rs 3 lakh – Rs 4 lakh); Suryakant Lokhande’s Disney inspired works, made of high gloss automobile paint on ACP board, one titled Duck’s Dive for Treasure and another titled Merry Mischief: Tom and Jerry’s Christmas Caper (Rs 10 lakh – Rs 15 lakh each); and Bose Krishnamachari’s neon-colour filled abstract works in acrylic, from his Stretched Bodies series, one estimated at Rs 3 lakh – Rs 4 lakh and another at Rs 2 lakh – Rs 3 lakh.

(The writer is a New Delhi-based journalist)