MUMBAI: The victims of the flood in Bihar in August have found good Samaritans in 31 artists from across the country. From Atul and Anju Dodiya and Jitish Kallat to T V Santhosh and Mithu Sen, artists have donated one work each to an auction organised by Saffron Art, artist couple Subodh Gupta and Bharti Kher, Delhi gallery Nature Morte and the Trident in Gurgaon. Hundred per cent of the proceeds will go to NGOs that work with victims of the flood, said Saffron Art owner Dinesh Vazirani. The works will be auctioned on November 11 and 12 and those interested can visit www.saffronart.com.

The event has been put together in a lightning 20 days. Kher said that she and Gupta urgently called their friends as the condition of the flood victims is quite grim and getting worse. Stories about the global economic meltdown have eclipsed press coverage of flood relief, Vazirani pointed out. Now they have absolutely nothing, said Kher. Its the right time to do an auction. Riyas Komu, one of the contributors, added that Kher and Gupta are doing a worthy thing and that its high time the government tackles natural calamities better. It was an anticipated flood and there had been several warnings.

The even is especially significant for Gupta as he is a native of Bihar. Initially Gupta and Kher had the mad idea that they would go to Bihar themselves to see how they could help. Gupta joked that if he had carried out his plan, he wouldnt have been able to work for at least a year. Two NGOs Goonj and Samajik Shaikshanik Vikas Kendrawill disburse the funds generated by the auction. Vazirani said that a conservative estimate of the target he thinks the auction will achieve is Rs three crore. The upper estimate, he added, is Rs four crore.

The works on display are quite stunning. Bose Krishnamachari, for instance, has served up a psychadelic piece of art titled Stretched Bodies. Delhi-based duo Thukral and Tagra have offered Somnium Genero, a triptych that involves pop art colours, old-fashioned frames and a toaster. In Bharti Khers work, This Way and Never Another Way, tributaries of red, blue, black and white bindis form what looks like a mighty river. The artists have really given great works, Vazirani said. And theyre well-priced. Are the organisers worried that collectors might shy away from spending on art at a time when the global economy is in a deep trough? Gupta explains that he doesnt expect buyers to be chary as theyre not donating money. Even though theyre spending considerable amounts, theyre getting something highly valuable in return, he said. The artists, on the other hand, have donated their paintings without asking for a penny. This is a coming together of artists from India, said Vaziranis wife Minal. Theres a sense of a community. Were able to contribute to the survival of people.

The post United colours for Bihar first appeared on Indian Art News.

SAFFRONART CLOSED its exciting Autumn Online Auction of Contemporary Indian Art, registering a total sale value of approximately Rs 29 crores (US $7.2 million), about 72 per cent in excess of the low estimate. Hosted on Saffronart’s new technology platform which serves up an innovative and secure user interface, this sale featured several genres of Contemporary Indian Art including painting, sculpture, photography and installation.
At this sale, world auction records were set for 18 Indian artists, including TV Santhosh, Anju Dodiya, Sudhir Patwardhan, GR Iranna, Mithu Sen, Anita Dube, Sudarshan Shetty, Anil Revri, Tushar Joag, Manisha Parekh, Debanjan Roy, Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi, Kishor Shinde, Chitra Ganesh, Ravikumar Kashi, Ram Bali Chauhan, Mayyur Kailash Gupta and Nicola Durvasula.
Within the first hours of the auction, several lots crossed their higher estimates, including TV Santhosh’s diptych, featured on the cover of the catalogue, and works by Subodh Gupta, Riyas Komu, Anandajit Ray, GR Iranna, Tushar Joag, Dhananjay Singh and George Martin, setting the pace for the exciting bidding activity that continued till the last seconds of the sale.
At this auction, over 575 registered bidders from all over the world competed against each other for the works of some of India’s most talented artists. The top five lots of this Saffronart auction were Subodh Gupta’s Idol Thief I, selling for Rs 4.28 crores (US $1.07 million); Subodh Gupta’s Saat Samundra Par (Across the Seven Seas), selling for Rs 3.4 crores (US $850,000); TV Santhosh’s When your Target Cries for Mercy, selling for Rs. 2.8 crores (US $701,500); Anju Dodiya’s The Site, selling for Rs 1.06 crores (US $267,375); and Sudhir Patwardhan’s The Clearing, selling for Rs 93,15,000 (US $232,875).
Online art auctions, pioneered by Saffronart, have transformed the landscape of Modern and Contemporary Indian Art, making it accessible to participants across geographies and opening it to a wide spectrum of international art lovers. Other Articles by Rupali Ghadge Saffronart’s September annual on-line auction Established by Dinesh and Minal Vazirani, Saffronart has set global benchmarks for online art auctions. The company’s innovative business model has prompted the Harvard Business School to write and teach a case study on Saffronart.
Saffronart has been instrumental in fundamentally changing the market for Modern and Contemporary Indian Art. With its professionalism and transparency, it has contributed to the burgeoning international and domestic interest in Indian art, and in the process established itself as the leader in Modern and Contemporary Indian Art auctions globally.

The post Saffronart’s Autumn Online Auction breaks new ground first appeared on Indian Art News.