At Prinseps' Modern and Contemporary Art Sale on November 17th, we find immense joy in presenting, from the late modern era, four exquisite works by four master craftsmen: Akbar Padamsee, Dhanraj Bhagat, Sankho Chaudhuri, and Amarnath Sehgal.
Akbar Padamsee was born in Mumbai in 1928 and studied at Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai. Padamsee experimented with various mediums and genres in his career while maintaining his oeuvre and personal style. Padamsee conveyed his command over space, form, and color.
Akbar Padamsee (1928)
Untitled (Head)
Circa 200
Bronze, Casting II Edition 2/5
Signed and inscribed lower back
11 x 6.5 x 6 in.
The artwork includes a certificate of authenticity by the artist.
Born in 1922 in Attock, Punjab, Amarnath Sehgal was first educated as an engineer in Lahore. However, he later turned to art and moved to Delhi after the Partition in 1947. He later studied art education at New York University in 1950. Most of his works have recurring themes of individual freedom and human dignity which is his response to political violence. This work is a superbly executed, unique, non-edition, Ganesh from 1970.
Amarnath Sehgal (1922 - 2007)
Untitled (Ganesha) (1970)
Bronze, Edition 1/1
Signed and dated
14 x 12.5 x 9.5 in.
Born in 1917 in Lahore, Punjab, Dhanraj Bhagat graduated from Mayo College of Art. Dhanraj Bhagat and Ram Kinker Baij are considered to be the earliest of the modernists in Indian sculpture. Bhagat’s early wooden sculptures have liquid, stream-like forms with smooth, elongated lines. His sculptures have a flat frontal aspect to them which he used to encourage the viewer to look at it from only one angle much like some of Bracusi's earlier works.
Dhanraj Bhagat (1917 - 1987)
Ling Raja (1970)
Wood
23.5 x 11 x 5.5 in.
Born in 1916 in Bihar, Sankho Chaudhuri graduated from Santiniketan in 1939. At that time abstraction was a new style in sculpture and many sculptors leaned towards it. Chaudhuri’s works, although made of an austere material had a sense of malleability, softness, and rhythm to them. His works often depicted the female form or wildlife. Sankho Chaudhuri works were significant as it was a response to the traditional western academic style that was taught to artists at the time.
Sankho Chaudhuri (1916 - 2006)
Untitled (Bird)
Circa 1990s
Bronze
12 x 4 x 3 in.
