The hammer goes down at Rs 19.19 crore. A painting of modern master Akbar Padamsee titled ‘Greek Landscape’ (1959), which was bought for Rs 1,000 in 1960 by fellow artist Krishen Khanna, fetched a whopping price of Rs 19.19 crore at the recently concluded Saffronart’s Evening Sale, making it a world auction record for the artist. The artwork, which was estimated to sell between Rs 7-9 crore, surpassed its bidding expectation, sparking new interest in the Indian art market.
It is a sad state that the numbers have ignited the sudden interest in a legendary artist like Padamsee, expresses Ranjit Hoskote, cultural theorist and independent curator.
He says, “Anybody who is talking about the auction and the price point must understand that it is not something unusual or new.”
“In the auction scene, modern artists have always been the first preference. The particular work ‘Greek Landscape’ is one of the masterpieces and has a unique value because it is coming out of the art collection of fellow Progressive artist Krishen Khanna. It was produced during a time when artists used to buy works of their peers. And Krishen is known for having a unique eye for great work. So, the work has an added provenance,” adds Ranjit Hoskote.
Talking about what makes Padamsee a great artist, curator Alka Pande says, “The forms carry an expression of ineffable sadness and there are periods when he has painted landscapes that express the grandeur of infinite time. He is an artist whose work ranges from the figure to the non-figurative — an artist difficult to bracket.”
Hugo Weihe, auctioneer and CEO of Saffronart, adds, “There is a huge demand for unseen works of modern artists as compared to Indian contemporary artists. The growth of Indian art market has been faster than the rate at which the Chinese contemporary art market has evolved.”
However, this auction result might not reflect on all of Padamsee’s works such that they all fetch a similar price, nor has this opened up new market avenue, says Ranjit. He adds, “The workings of auction houses are different from the actual market. It does not affect the real market in any way. Having said that, collectors now are breaking free of the stereotype ‘big name’ and looking into art more seriously.”
Alka agrees and feels that auctions like these are not indicators of the real art market. “It is surprising that in the recent past we have seen a rise in the demand of Indian masters. What would be more interesting to know from this particular auction would be the name of the buyer to understand what intrigued him. In the recent past, we have seen certain works of M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Tyeb Mehta and Vasudeo S. Gaitonde fetching the market’s interest but it is very intriguing that a living master is getting the limelight all of a sudden. Having said that, not all works of a master artist get such high bidders, as they are not masterpieces or hold perfect aesthetic values,” she says.
Experimenting with plastic emulsion
The ‘Greek Landscape’ (above) was an experimental painting created by Akbar Padamsee using plastic emulsion. He used to buy the paint in large tins — black and white — as the paint he wanted was not available in India. In an interview with Meera Godbole-Krishnamurthy, editor-in-chief, Saffronart, Akbar said, “The paint one got was often glossy, but I was lucky to find a man who sold the non-glossy matte, plastic emulsion. When I told him I was using it for a painting, he also showed the painters’ brushes he had — broad ones with thick bristles. So I bought those too.”
