Even as the global economy struggles to get back on track, artist V S Gaitonde continues to break Indian art records and his own as well
On Thursday night, a 1961 oil-on-canvas sold for Rs 39.98 CR (inclusive of buyer's premium) at the Spring Live auction at Saffronart. The Gaitonde work not only set a world record for the artist, who passed away in 2001 in Delhi, but also for Indian art as a whole.
"It was at this time that the reclusive Gaitonde, known for his serene, 'non-objective' paintings, began experimenting with the layering of pigment and the manipulation of light and texture. Influenced by Zen philosophy and the principles of minimalism, Gaitonde's works from this period pulsate with an innate lyricism as well as a sense of mystery," read a note by the homegrown auction house.
"It was at this time that the reclusive Gaitonde, known for his serene, 'non-objective' paintings, began experimenting with the layering of pigment and the manipulation of light and texture. Influenced by Zen philosophy and the principles of minimalism, Gaitonde's works from this period pulsate with an innate lyricism as well as a sense of mystery," read a note by the homegrown auction house.
Gaitonde painting auctioned for Rs 39.98 crore, sets new record
With this sale, Gaitonde has also broken his own two records. Last year, on September 3, a Gaitonde oil-on-canvas, dated 1974, fetched Rs 32 crore at a Pundole’s auction. On September 17 the same year, another of his works from 1974 — an untitled oil-on-canvas — sold for Rs 30 crore at a Saffronart auction.