All lots sold at Bid & Hammer’s online auction of Indian art - Hindustan Times
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All lots sold at Bid & Hammer’s online auction of Indian art

Aug 19, 2020 02:54 PM IST

Economic revival with art auctions during Covid-19; M F Husain, S G Vasudev, Paresh Maity and other leading artists show the way. Raj to Swaraj Auction on Independence day adds to the cause.

At the ‘No-Reserve Online Auction of Indian Art’ held by Bid & Hammer between 4th-10th August 2020 all the lots have been sold out. Called a ‘white glove sale’ in auction house parlance, the auctioneers pulled off a coup of sorts in the first place by convincing a few entrepreneurial collectors of the Indian art world to offer these works in an auction with no minimum or base price in a bid to encourage bidding during the ongoing covid pandemic.

The star lot of the auction – Horse by M F Husain.
The star lot of the auction – Horse by M F Husain.

As art can bring succour, the objective was achieved with the leading work, depicting a horse ready to gallop, by master artist M F Husain selling at Rs 25,80,000 (including buyers premium and taxes). Though estimated at Rs 30,00,000 – 40,00,000 the purpose of the sale was well-served as the painting was acquired by the collector at an attractive price. There was intense bidding over seven days as the initial bid increments were only in the range of Rs 5,000 -10,000 even for this stunning painting. Adding to the allure was the provenance, coming directly as it were from the family of the artist and gifted to one of his grand-nieces on her birthday. Ankush Dadha, director of Bid & Hammer said “ In fact, some of the bidders who lost out have immediately made post-auction offers to beat the winning bid, but the collector obviously refused to let go”.

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One of the other artworks auctioned in a similar fashion was Paresh Maity’s watercolour on board from 1999, titled ‘Odyssey 65’ and estimated at Rs 2,00,000 – 3,00,000, the winning bid was Rs 1,29,000 all inclusive. The lot that went much above the estimates was a pair of paintings by veteran Bengaluru based artist S G Vasudev from his acclaimed ‘Theatre of Life’ Series. Estimated at Rs 90,000 – 1,50,000, the hammer price on this was Rs 1,90,000. Paintings by K M Adimoolam, J M S Mani, Rabin Mondal and K K Hebbar all reached their lower estimates.

To keep the momentum going, and with Independence Day around the corner, the auction house is conducting another online auction titled ‘Antique & Vintage Photographs; India – from RAJ TO SWARAJ’.

From the Taj Mahal in the North to the Charminar in the South and from the Ajanta & Ellora Caves in the East to Calcutta of the 1960s in the West, the specialist and unique auction covers photos of 35 towns, hill stations, cities and states of India showcasing its natural beauty and monuments of its greatness. A section is dedicated to India’s erstwhile Maharaja’s and rulers of the former Princely States. Vintage photos depicting important political events leading up to the Imperial Delhi Durbar and upto the transfer of power and beyond are on offer too.

The timing of the auction on 15th August 2020 is apt given the relevance of these historic moments. “With 180 original silver gelatin prints and albumen photographs from a single-owner collection, it is probably the largest lot-wise dedicated auction of photographs from 19th century leading up to the Imperial Delhi Durbar, followed by Indian Independence and beyond. And with estimates starting from Rs. 9,000 going up to Rs. 60,000, it is a good starting point for patriotic Indians and first-time collectors ” says Maher Dadha, Founder-Director, Bid & Hammer.

With a safe and secure online bidding software, integrated with an easy to download mobile app, high-resolution images of the lots can be viewed online and bid on from the palm of your hands and comfort of your homes!

Disclaimer: This is a company press release. No HT journalist was involved in the creation of this content.

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