The biggest leap in the history of art auction took place recently when South Indian post independence modern master K.C.S. Paniker's iconic 'Words & Symbols Series' painting was auctioned at a whopping price Rs 1.80 crore.
[File] K.C.S. Paniker
Talking about the artworks, Neville Tuli, Chairman, The Osian's Group, says, "Paniker's Words & Symbols Series (1964 Oil on canvas) painting is an iconic work of Indian modernism, reflecting deeply that pioneering period of the 1960s where the Indian modern artist was searching for an 'Indianness' in their artistic modernism, which at that time was heavily influenced by the Schools of Paris and New York."
The auction, conducted by Osian's, also featured top quality artworks from important collections such as the Maharaja Sir Vijay Singh of Rajpipla, Family Collection of late Indira Gandhi, Dr Pratapaditya Pal, Angela and Ernst Mischa Jucker and Soni Daruwala, among others.
The top lots sold include Serbjeet Singh's 'Bardhan Gompa—Zanskar' sold for Rs 1,320,000; Piraji Sagar's Untitled sold for Rs 6,00,000 and Nayanna Kanodia's 'Birds' sold for Rs 8,40,000.
In the Modern Masters section, Nasreen Mohammedi’s mid-1980s minimalist drawing was auctioned for Rs 67.20 lakh. Apart from Paniker’s masterpiece, Nicholas Roerich’s 'Pilgrim in the Himalayas' passed the Rs 1 crore mark with a sale price of Rs 1.74 crore. M.F. Husain's '1976 Horse' was auctioned for Rs 96 lakh.
The auction's successful return comes after a long hiatus of seven years of financial instability and challenges that Osian's was facing.