Twitter
Advertisement

Exploring a broader spectrum of artists

A new auction house, Prinseps, sets the ball rolling with two inaugural online auctions

Latest News
article-main
(Clockwise from top left) Sculpture by Somnath Hore, Rathindranath Tagore’s painting and painting by MF Husain
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

With the launch of Prinseps, a new auction house, founder Indrajit Chatterjee says he is excited to bring works of different artists for avid art collectors. There are two online auctions planned for the occasion, including one on rare books on October 1 and 2, and an art auction on October 12 and 13.

What was the idea behind starting Prinseps auction house?

The idea is that modern art or arts in general is a very large field. We have just happened to touch the tip of the iceberg when it comes to works that are commercial successes. The idea is to explore more of the broader spectrum of the artists in the art market. Most auction houses focus only on a couple of artists and a very narrow period of art. India has a rich history of art and there are a lot of things to look at. We felt there was a lack of a space like that for art that’s different.

What do you predict about the art scenario in the country?

India is a growing economy and as the economy progresses, things like arts and crafts, theatre and other forms of art, will benefit. As the quality of life or standard of living goes up, people naturally gravitate towards the arts.

Can you tell us a bit about the art auction?

It’s the first time that works by Rathindranath Tagore are coming up in any auction house. He was an important artist of his time but his art was not seen in the public space as most of them are at Vishwa Bharti. In this auction, we also have works by artists who haven’t received their due, like Bimal Dasgupta, Suhas Roy and others, who didn’t achieve that much commercial success as no gallery was helping them out and there was no social media at that time. Some of them were from outside Bombay and didn’t get that much attention but they are still masters. We have two Husains from the ’50s, which is rare to see in an auction. We have a superb sculpture, very rare, from Somnath Hore. We want to introduce the buyer to a different time period or different artists from what they are used to seeing in auctions.

There will also be an auction of rare books from the estate of Rathindranath Tagore and Nirmal-Mira Chatterjee of Santiniketan. Tell us more about that.

These are books that formed a part of his estate. Books include a signed copy of Mahatma Gandhi’s The Story of My Experiments With Truth, a signed copy of Nehru’s autobiography, and other books that were gifted to Rabindranath Tagore (Rathindranath’s father) and signed by the authors, among which, are Albert Einstein and T.S. Elliot. The book auction is on October 2, to coincide with Gandhi Jayanti. We wanted it to be a tribute to him.The important thing to note is that the provenance is clear, as the books are from Rathindranath’s estate.

What are the auctions you have planned for the future?

We have planned an exhibition of hand-written speeches of Rabindranath Tagore. We are transcribing them from Bengali to English. Whether that becomes an auction, I don’t know but at the moment, it will open as an exhibtion/research project for the public. This will be the first time that his handwritten speeches will be on display. We might open it by end of October and we are in touch with are in talks with some galleries for it.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement