The most unusual thing about the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art auction being held by Bonhams in London today is that the table is being led not by a work by VS Gaitonde, SH Raza or Tyeb Mehta, to quote some popular examples, but by a work by the late Pakistani master Sadequain (1937-1987). At £40,000 – £50,000 (approx. Rs 4 million – Rs 4.9 million), his oil on canvas titled “Painter in Paris,” is the most prized work among the lots on offer.Besides Sadequain, Ustad Allah Bux (1895-1978) is another master from Pakistan whose work figures in the top lots on offer.Is that the beginning of a new story in the world of South Asian art auctions, which have so far been overwhelmingly dominated by works by Indian masters alone?Another heartening feature of the auction is that among the rest of the lots, comprising mostly Indian modern and contemporary masters, there is a refreshing mix of new names that one is not used to seeing in the auctions of Indian art globally. That’s another healthy sign for the market where the works being offered will help broadbase the highly restricted Indian market.Tahmina Ghaffar, Specialist, Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art at Bonhams, answers all of the above curiosities in this interview with BLOUIN ARTINFO.The May 27 auction has a canvas by a Pakistani artist — Sadequain — leading the table. This is highly unusual where South Asian art auctions are invariably dominated by Indian artists. What does this say about the South Asian art market? Is it possible for you to guess if the interest in canvases from Pakistan will be largely driven by Pakistani collectors, or Indians are as likely to be interested?We have been proud supporters of Pakistani art for a number of years and so this focus on a masterwork by an artist from Pakistan is not unusual for us. What is unusual is how much interest we have received internationally for these pieces in recent sales. Once a market dominated by collectors of Pakistani origin, we are now seeing people from all backgrounds interested in this area. Indian collectors notably want to diversify their collections and see that Pakistani art took a different trajectory to that of India. Yet, at the same time, art from the two countries shares many similar influences and references. Compared to the Indian modern art market, the Pakistani market is still in its infancy in terms of value and this is something that has caught the attention of collectors globally.Are we at the same stage of the Asian art market of nearly two-and-a-half decades back when Indian canvases used to be a part of the larger Asian art auctions, which then gradually started charting their own trajectories, with the global auction houses eventually having to set up separate Indian/ South Asian art sales? Is the art from Pakistan at that same cusp now?I would love to see designated sale of Pakistani art in the future to demonstrate the importance of the country’s own artistic output independent of India. I hope that as the market develops, this is something that we as market leaders in Pakistani art could facilitate. The country is young, forming in 1947, and we must, however, accept that Pakistan, India and Bangladesh share a tumultuous modern history that is inextricably linked, and thus South Asian art sales as they are currently, chart the aesthetic history of the region.Of all areas of art, the contemporary art market has seen the most growth within Pakistan. Because this sector did not have the same exponential growth that Indian contemporary received pre-recession, it appears to have more stability in this area. There are some excellent artists coming from the major institutions in Pakistan, such as the National College of Art, Lahore, and in particular, I have been impressed by the innovative work coming from the students at the Beaconhouse National University.Could you name some Pakistani artists whose works of art you expect to sell well in the future?In terms of sales, often the auction houses, as a secondary market, do not reflect the success of certain contemporary artists until some time later. In terms of Modern art, we are seeing artists such as Gulgee and Ahmed Parvez doing increasingly well at auctions. There are a number of contemporary artists from Pakistan, such as Zeeshan Mohammad, Imran Hassan, Fardia Batool, Noor Ali Chagani, Waqas Khan, who have not filtered into the secondary market as yet, but whose works could do so.You must be having some faith in the maturity of the South Asian/ Indian art market to bring so many new Indian names to the auction table, who have not been toasted by the market yet. Have the Indian collectors begun to look beyond the names that have so far ruled the market? Is the phase of Indian collectors where buying a big name is most important, over, giving way to an informed approach to building collections?We are responding to the growing sophistication of Indian art collectors by bringing forth academically important artists who have not had the same level of commercial interest until now. This sale includes works from the Bengal School, including Sudhir Khastgir, and Ramkinkar Baij, demonstrating the early influence of East Asian wash techniques and the emerging pan-Asian aesthetic. The influence of these early artists, straddling the era of British rule and Independence, feeds into the contemporary pieces in the sale by Bikash Bhattacharjee and Sakti Burman.Bonhams is always looking for previously undervalued artists, to bring them to light and to give them the attention they deserve. The sale features a number of fresh-to-market works from esteemed private collections in Europe and the US, which we’re confident will continue our trajectory of success in the Indian art market.The sale is curated to highlight the varied artistic output from India, and will encompass some of the country’s diverse cultures and heritage. Romanticised, idyllic pastoral scenes by Sailoz Mookherjea, S.H. Raza and M.F. Husain are offered alongside more conventionally modernist works by F.N. Souza and Raza.Could you name some modern Indian artists who have not been celebrated well enough by the market yet, but are likely to do well in future?It is always difficult to predict the future in the art market, yet certain artists from the formative Progressive Artists’ Group of Bombay, such as K.H. Ara, H.A. Gade, and S.K. Bakre, have not had the same success as their counterparts who were, perhaps more adept at promoting their works. As collectors are looking to broaden their collections, more attention is being given to these previously undervalued artists.
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