2023 saw the record broken for India’s most expensive painting by a canvas painted by one of the most prolific woman artists of India in the pre-independence era. It auctioned for a price which is several times the annual salaries of most top Indian CEOs.
2023 was undeniably one of the most prolific years for Indian artists in terms of the value attached to their artwork. The year saw the record broken for India’s most expensive painting. The tag belongs to a canvas painted by one of the most prolific woman artists of India in the pre-independence era depicting the life of women in rural India, made by her during time spent in what is a little-known village in Uttar Pradesh today.
The painting, titled ‘The Story Teller’, made by the renowned painter Amrita Sher-Gil broke the all time auction record for an Indian art-work just months ago in September this year. The painting was sold at a live auction in New Delhi for a price which is several times the annual salaries of most top Indian CEOs. Sher-Gil's 1937 artwork broke the Indian auction record by fetching an eye-opening price of Rs 61.8 crore or $7.4 million. The artwork, one of the most cherished by the legendary painter, also has its own story.
Life of Amrita Sher-Gill and the story behind ‘The Story Teller’
Sher-Gil’s father was a scholar who belonged to an aristocratic family from Punjab. Her mother was an opera singer. While her father, Umrao Singh Sher-Gil, was an Indian, she had Hungarian lineage on her mother’s side. She developed interest in art at an early age. She was trained in great European cities like France’s Paris and Italy’s Florence. She came to India in 1921 and resided in the hill city of Shimla. Sher-Gil’s genius met an untimely end when she passed away in 1941, just 28 years old.
Amrita Sher-Gil painted the ‘Story Teller’ when she was staying in UP’s Saraya at an estate belonging to her uncle. It was shortly after she had returned to India. Sher-Gil observed the life of women in India’s countryside and immortalised it on her canvases. It is said to be one of her favourite works and was mentioned by her as one which held particular significance for her. According to the auction house which sold the painting for the record price, the “type of work is quite rare to come across for sale”.
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