LOT 23
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LOT 23 23
MANJIT BAWA (INDIAN 1941-2008)
Untitled (Goat)
early 1990s
acrylic on canvas
17.5 x 17.5 cm. (6.9 x 6.9 in.)
PROVENANCE
Collection of Manmohan Singh Bawa (artist`s brother)
Artdeal Auction, New Delhi, India, Jan. 30, 2015 lot 43
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale
EXPERTISE
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from Manmohan Singh Bawa (Copy available upon request)
Manjit Bawa, studied fine arts at the College of Art, New Delhi between 1958 and 1963, under some of the greatest Modern artists in South Asia, including Somnath Hore, Rakesh Mehra, Dhanaraj Bhagat, B.C. Sanyal and Abani Sen. As Bawa recalls in one of his interviews: “I gained an identity under Abani Sen. Sen would ask me to do 50 sketches every day, only to reject most of them. As a result, I inculcated the habit of working continuously. He taught me to revere the figurative at a time when the entire scene was leaning in favor of the abstract. Without that initial training I could never have been able to distort forms and create the stylization you see in my work today".
Bawa is known for his vibrant paintings and love of spirituality. Having grown up in the agricultural region of Punjab, he frequently portrayed farm animals in his work. "I grew up like Krishna, playing with [cows] and drinking milk straight from their udder.. therefore, farm animals like cows and goats keep appearing in my paintings", says Bawa. The artist drew inspiration from Sufi philosophy and Indian mythology, and was one of the first painters who opted for traditional Indian colors like mustard yellow, chili red, bright pink and violet. By restricting his subjects to a single figure or group, painted on flat psychedelic surfaces he was able to give a narrative appeal to the subject: “I was the first to use colors like violet, shocking pink, bright yellow and green on large spaces. I used flat colors. The only other artist using it was J. Swaminathan. On the canvas I put emblematic images. I was criticized a lot but stuck to my intuitive and innate sense of form.”
Bawa had a number of solo exhibitions in India and abroad, and participated in several significant international group exhibitions in Amsterdam, Singapore, London, Mumbai and Paris. His work represented India at international Biennales in Tokyo, Ankara, Turkey, and Cuba. In 1982, his work was featured at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum, in Washington D.C.
The present lot is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the artist’s elder brother Manmohan Singh Bawa, who, according to the artist, saw his sketches and encouraged him to pursue art.
acrylic on canvas
17.5 x 17.5 cm. (6.9 x 6.9 in.)
PROVENANCE
Collection of Manmohan Singh Bawa (artist`s brother)
Artdeal Auction, New Delhi, India, Jan. 30, 2015 lot 43
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale
EXPERTISE
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from Manmohan Singh Bawa (Copy available upon request)
Manjit Bawa, studied fine arts at the College of Art, New Delhi between 1958 and 1963, under some of the greatest Modern artists in South Asia, including Somnath Hore, Rakesh Mehra, Dhanaraj Bhagat, B.C. Sanyal and Abani Sen. As Bawa recalls in one of his interviews: “I gained an identity under Abani Sen. Sen would ask me to do 50 sketches every day, only to reject most of them. As a result, I inculcated the habit of working continuously. He taught me to revere the figurative at a time when the entire scene was leaning in favor of the abstract. Without that initial training I could never have been able to distort forms and create the stylization you see in my work today".
Bawa is known for his vibrant paintings and love of spirituality. Having grown up in the agricultural region of Punjab, he frequently portrayed farm animals in his work. "I grew up like Krishna, playing with [cows] and drinking milk straight from their udder.. therefore, farm animals like cows and goats keep appearing in my paintings", says Bawa. The artist drew inspiration from Sufi philosophy and Indian mythology, and was one of the first painters who opted for traditional Indian colors like mustard yellow, chili red, bright pink and violet. By restricting his subjects to a single figure or group, painted on flat psychedelic surfaces he was able to give a narrative appeal to the subject: “I was the first to use colors like violet, shocking pink, bright yellow and green on large spaces. I used flat colors. The only other artist using it was J. Swaminathan. On the canvas I put emblematic images. I was criticized a lot but stuck to my intuitive and innate sense of form.”
Bawa had a number of solo exhibitions in India and abroad, and participated in several significant international group exhibitions in Amsterdam, Singapore, London, Mumbai and Paris. His work represented India at international Biennales in Tokyo, Ankara, Turkey, and Cuba. In 1982, his work was featured at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum, in Washington D.C.
The present lot is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the artist’s elder brother Manmohan Singh Bawa, who, according to the artist, saw his sketches and encouraged him to pursue art.
Estimate: $23,000 – $27,000
