In a 1991 essay on the development of his personal art collection, British painter and printmaker Sir Howard Hodgkin recalled his first purchase of an Indian work of art, a colorful depiction of people lounging in a garden painted in Aurangabad in the 17th century. “I must have been about fourteen years old,” Hodgkin wrote. “I have no recollection of how I paid for it.” He remembered that he had tried betting on horses at the race track to raise the requisite funds, but lost.

Though it didn’t stay in Hodgkin’s collection for long, that early acquisition marked an important first step in the artist’s lifelong commitment to collecting Indian art and his passion for the country itself. Hodgkin, a Turner Prize winner renowned for his vividly pigmented abstractions, said that India “changed my way of thinking and probably, the way I paint.” (In 1992, he was also commissioned to paint a large mural for the British Council building in New Delhi.)

When he died in 2017 at the age of 84, Hodgkin left behind a collection of over 115 Indian paintings and drawings from the 16th to 19th centuries, with a particular emphasis on Mughal art — art from India’s last Islamic dynasty — which emerged in conversation with Persian miniature painting and flourished in court ateliers, perhaps most famously, that of Akbar.

Hodgkin’s varied holdings, which he said were led by an artistic eye, rather than a scholarly one, include a large-scale Kota painting of a royal hunting trip with tigers and lion as prey; a Deccani illumination of a vase, which is an ancient fertility motif in Indian art; and an intricate 17th-century painting of a wedding procession, led by a man on an elephant, cutting through a bazaar. Hodgkin was quite partial to depictions of elephants, writing in 1983 that “good Indian drawings of elephants are more frequently encountered than any other subject,” perhaps due to the animals’ shifting volumes and surfaces.

Hodgkin had hoped that his beloved collection, which is said to be valued at over £7.2 million (~$9.9 million), would be transferred in its entirety to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. The Ashmolean, which presented Hodgkin’s collection in an exhibition titled Visions of Mughal India in 2012, has the most comprehensive holdings of objects from the Indian subcontinent of any British museum outside of London, including numerous examples of Mughal art.

However, a source told the Guardian that the Ashmolean turned down the collection due to concerns over the works’ provenance. “One funding body warned the museum privately that, without proof of certain works having left India entirely legally, it would not offer a grant towards the purchase and future grants could also be affected if the museum acquired it anyway,” the British news outlet reported.

Hodgkin’s longtime partner, the music critic Antony Peattie, explained that Hodgkin bought art from international dealers without posing questions about the works’ path from India. “The priorities when Howard was collecting in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s were quality, not provenance,” Peattie said.

Andrew Topsfield, an honorary curator at the Ashmolean with a specialty in art from the Mughal period, determined that 40% of the works on offer had “clear and secure,” fully documented provenance that demonstrated that the works had left India legally. While the museum expressed interest in acquiring only this group of sanctioned works, Hodgkin had always wanted the collection to stay together, viewing it as an autonomous entity of sorts. The deal didn’t go through.

Now, the Guardian has revealed that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is considering acquiring Hodgkin’s collection, despite the provenance questions that gave the Ashmolean qualms. Peattie confirmed that the acquisition was under discussion at the Met, but made clear that “nothing’s settled.” The Met, the article said, declined to comment. (The museum has not responded to Hyperallergic’s immediate request for comment.)

In addition to having over a dozen works by Hodgkin himself in its permanent collection, the Met also already owns several artworks previously belonging to, or purchased with funds from, Hodgkin, including a painting of a stallion (c. 1601-6) from present-day Afghanistan, an album page with Christian subjects from the late 16th century, and a 17th-century painting of preparations for a hunt, among others.

by Cassie Packard

The post Indian Art Collection of Howard Hodgkin May Find a Home at the Met, Despite Provenance Concerns first appeared on Indian Art News.

The post “Sultans of Deccan India, 1500–1700” exhibit opens at the Metropolitan first appeared on Indian Art News.

Finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan, Mysore, ca. 1790. Gold, inlaid with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds; lac core. The Al-Thani Collection.

The post Exhibition of exquisite jewels from the Mughal period in India begins at the Metropolitan Museum of Art first appeared on Indian Art News.

The post Rare Imperial photos, miniatures, jewelery at London sale first appeared on Indian Art News.

Dr. Joseph M. Dye III, VMFA’s curatorial chair, reportedly says it is a “rare and unrivaled painting” that is “dramatically” longer than other known examples and is clearly the work of a master atelier. “I can say with complete confidence that this is the greatest South Indian painting that I have seen in my 42-year professional career.”

This Museum already has a large collection of Hindu arts and artifacts, which reportedly includes “Krishna and the Gopis” (Kangra miniature painting,1790), “Vishnu’s Great Vision of Shiva” (Punjab hills miniature painting, around 1810), “Shiva and Parvati accompanied by their sons Ganesha and Karttikeya” (Bengal watercolor,1860), “The Creation of the Universe: Vishnu and Lakshmi on Sesha, the Cosmic Serpent, floating on the multitudinous seas” (Guler watercolor, around 1770), 20th-century votive image of standing Shiva in brass, Shiva Nataraja (late 1100s sculpture from Tamil Nadu), Ganesha (early 1100s Hoyshala sculpture), “Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita” (three pages from the manuscript from East India around 1150), “Krishna and Balarama arrive in Brindaban” (watercolor,1585), Ramayana (double-sided watercolor, around 1900), etc.

Hindus have commended VMFA for efforts to educate the world about Hinduism through various art forms. Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature talked about religious paintings of deities on wood or cloth. It was an admirable attempt of VMFA to provide avenues to the public to look deeper into concepts of Hinduism, which was the oldest and third largest religion of the world rich in philosophical thought, Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out.

VMFA has organized Hinduism related exhibitions in the past, including “God, Hero and Lover: Representations of Krishna in Indian Painting” of 17-19th century jewel-like miniature opaque watercolors of all-encompassing Krishna, which form part of its extensive collection of Hindu paintings. Another was “Picturing Philosophy: An illustrated manuscript from 18th-century India”, highlighting the 1763 Jnaneshvari manuscript depicting commentary on ancient Hindu scripture Bhagavad-Gita.

It has also launched an online exhibition about Indian paintings reportedly from its collection, which includes “Krishna and His friends celebrate Holi in the forests of Brindaban” (Mewar watercolor, 1710-20), “The pining Radha”, “Krishna and Radha”, “Krishna slays the horse demon Kesi”, “The search for Sita”, “Shiva Ardhanarishvara”, “Karttikeya”, “Krishna distributes butter to the monkeys”, “Celebrations in honor of Krishna’s birth”, “Shiva manifesting within a linga of flames, worshiped by Brahma and Vishnu”, “Rama and Lakshmana meet”, “Krishna adorning Radha’s hair”, “Krishna dancing in joyous abandon”, etc.

Meanwhile, Rajan Zed urged major art museums of the world, including Musee du Louvre and Musee d’Orsay of Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Los Angeles Getty Center, Uffizi Gallery of Florence (Italy), Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern of London, Prado Museum of Madrid, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, etc., to frequently organize Hindu art focused exhibitions, thus sharing the rich Hindu art heritage with the rest of the world.

VMFA “Friends of Indian Art” group, formed in 1992, has reportedly supported the museum’s collection of Indian and South Asian art with contributions of more than $300,000 for 23 art objects and gifts. Mimi Dozier is the Coordinator. VMFA, launched in 1936, which has achieved an international reputation for creative excellence and innovative programming, houses a collection of world art ranging from antiquities to contemporary art. Alexander Lee Nyerges is the Director and Mrs. Richard S. Reynolds III is President of the Board of Trustees of VMFA whose mission is “to enrich the lives of all”.

Source – http://www.littleabout.com/news/52052,virginia-museum-acquires-rare-18th-century-legend-scroll-andhra-pradesh.html

The post Virginia museum acquires rare 18th-century legend scroll from Andhra Pradesh first appeared on Indian Art News.

In the fluorescent-lit basement of Jehangir Art Gallery, Deepak Natesan, a soft-spoken dealer of bronze figures, stone sculptures and other artefacts, is unwrapping his most precious stock. The Nainsukh of Guler that sold for $2.22 million at a Christie’s auction.The Nainsukh of Guler that sold for $2.22 million at a Christie’s auction. (Christie’s)

The post Small wonders first appeared on Indian Art News.

Over the past year or so, one has come across the occasional write-up on a spurt in antique collection. The newfound interest among the art fraternity has already begun taking shape with the recent entry of a whole new breed of collectors. The March sale of Indian and Southeast Asian Art in New York said as much. Collectors bid aggressively with the hammer going down at 5 to 10 times the estimated value for several masterpieces.
But, while it is common knowledge that antiquities are undervalued and there is marked disparity in valuations in comparison with contemporary art, not much has been reported on the crucial economic drivers that will fuel the boom, or about the various media, their importance and valuation.
The antiquities market consists of small collectibles (like vessels, lamps, prints and puppets, etc), wooden carvings and textiles, stone sculptures, bronze works and miniature paintings in a more or less ascending order. Most of the pieces acquired range from the 10th to 19th century.
Miniatures constitute the top end, requiring expert knowledge and understanding. Stones and bronzes range from various dynasties. Wood carvings, textiles and pichwais usually range from the 17th to 20th century.
Although not a thumb rule, most antiquities sell in India for barely 1/3rd the international price. Small exceptions to this rule are the Tanjore and Mysore paintings, which sell at a higher price in India than overseas. It is this price differential, coupled with a boom overseas, that is set to drive prices in India. Now, for the three basic economic reasons for the impending boom:
First is the fact that they are not made anymore. The hands that created the antiquities are no longer alive, resulting in zero additional supply. This is far different from the scenario in contemporary art where the quantum of art produced increases with popularity. Another factor that affects supply is the fact that the best of antiquities were bought decades ago by wealthy collectors.
Those days, antiquities were far more expensive than contemporary art and were acquired only by the affluent. This has had an impact on the supply as very few buyers ever ended up selling their collection.
Another factor that drives the demand-supply equilibrium is the fact that collectors of yesteryears never bought antiquities as an investment. All of them bought for sheer love and enjoyment, unlike contemporary art, which has a mixed basket of collectors comprising of collectors, corporates, investors and funds. Most of these old collectors have long since retired or died and their collections have made their way into museums.
The new generation of collectors are migrants from contemporary art. They find the price levels very cheap and also have deep pockets. Their entry will drive the markets to price levels never seen before.
The global market in ancient Indian art, so far dominated by Americans and Europeans, will swell with the entry of large Indian buyers.
In value terms, the antiquities market in India is barely 5-10% the size of the contemporary art market. What happens to this small market when there is an influx of large buyers is anybody’s guess.
Although art funds and corporate investments have made inroads into contemporary art, they have yet to enter antiquities. Once they do, a new era would have started.

However, collectors need to understand the legalities involved and comply with the Antiquities Act while making purchases. One needs to ensure that purchases are made from government-licensed antique dealers and duly registered with the department of antiquities.

The post Invest in antiquities to make more money first appeared on Indian Art News.

The post Miniature Worlds: Art from India at The Palmer Museum of Art first appeared on Indian Art News.