A 1963 oil painting by Bombay Progressive Artists Group co-founder Sadanand K Bakre is expected to fetch 25,000 pounds at a sale during the Russian, Eastern and Oriental Art Fair here next month.
'Townscape', authenticated by auction house Bonhams and handled by Oc-Eo Art, a fine art company specialising in contemporary Asian fine art, exemplifies Bakre's fine eye for colour - strong pure tones mixed boldly to project warmth.
"The painting was acquired in the late 1960s/early 1970s by the present owner's father, which gives us an approximate date for its creation, and we have confirmation from a
Bonham's specialist that the painting is authentic," said Oc-Eo Art director Peter Quintana.
"To date, we have had interest from dealers in London and Delhi. The painting will go on show at the Russian, Eastern and Oriental Art Fair in London, which opens on June 9. We are inviting offers in excess of 10,000 pounds, but our expectation is that the painting - which is an exceptional example of Bakre's strong use of colour - should reach 20-25,000 pounds," Quintana told PTI.
Bakre (1920-2007) founded the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group, the highly influential pioneers of modern art in India,
with F N Souza in 1947.
S H Raza, K H Ara, H A Gade, and M F Husain later joined them and they all made a vital contribution to the contemporary art movement by seeking a new form which could describe the Indian reality immediately after Independence.
After the group disbanded in the mid-50s, Bakre continued to work and had one-man shows at Gallery One (London) in 1959, the Centaur Gallery (Mumbai) in 1962 and at the Commonwealth
Institute in 1961.
"The current record for a Bakre work was set by Bonhams in 2007 at 37,800 pounds, so this is a rare opportunity to take advantage of an art market still below its pre-recession peak to acquire a painting of some significance," Quintana said.