Tribal and Folk Arts at Auction
It is a pleasure to see that the Indian Auction House, Osian's, is offering for the first time a sale of "Indian Modern & Contemporary Art and Craft" on November 27.
One regret, however, is the choice for the artists of ''craft".
As for modern and contemporary art, major artists from traditional communities are rare. If we want that one day these artists share the same recognition as their peers, we must consider them as equals and have the same selection criteria, the same requirements and this applies to both first and second markets. For the second market, only artists who already have a strong recognition should be proposed.
It is regrettable that the great names of Indian folk and tribal art are not included in this first event.
I think particularly, among few others, of Ganga Devi (1928-1991), whose work have been the subject of several international exhibitions and publications, Jivya Soma Mashe, born in 1934, the legendary Warli artist whose work have been shown in many countries, Jangarh Singh Shyam (1962-2001), brilliant initiator of the revival of painting of the Gond tribe, discovered and exhibited for the first time by one of the great masters of Modern Indian art, Jagdish Swaminathan.
One regret, however, is the choice for the artists of ''craft".
As for modern and contemporary art, major artists from traditional communities are rare. If we want that one day these artists share the same recognition as their peers, we must consider them as equals and have the same selection criteria, the same requirements and this applies to both first and second markets. For the second market, only artists who already have a strong recognition should be proposed.
It is regrettable that the great names of Indian folk and tribal art are not included in this first event.
I think particularly, among few others, of Ganga Devi (1928-1991), whose work have been the subject of several international exhibitions and publications, Jivya Soma Mashe, born in 1934, the legendary Warli artist whose work have been shown in many countries, Jangarh Singh Shyam (1962-2001), brilliant initiator of the revival of painting of the Gond tribe, discovered and exhibited for the first time by one of the great masters of Modern Indian art, Jagdish Swaminathan.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by natesan's antiqarts on -
Ancient indian art was rarely signed. While purchasing folk or tribal art one needs to look at the quality alone and not the name. It is an arena that functions very differently and cannot be looked at in the same manner as contemp and modern art. Most traditional art is not the hand of a single artisan. You always need a team. Hence you cannot attribute the work to a single name. When we create a chola re-creation we have a design team, a person who makes the wax model, a team that does the actual casting and another person for finishing. This is what gives superlative results. Faces are always done by a different hand. Throughout the process an external eye familiar with chola stylization needs to make corrections. Therefore it is a creation that stands out and not one of the many creators. These basics facts would take time to dawn upon everyone.
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Permalink Reply by herve perdriolle on -
It is true that ancient Indian art was rarely signed. Most forms of tribal and folk art will always remain anonymous, and it is good like that.
During the 70's and 80s, the efforts of the Indian government emissaries to help these art forms, then endangered, enabled to identify among the crowds of anonymous few personalities with exceptional talent, between tradition and modernity. Since the 70s many publications and photos allow us to discover and follow the works of these particular artists. Exhibitions already regarded as historic as "Magicians of the Earth" (Center Pompidou, Paris, 1989) and "Other Masters (Craft Museum, New Delhi 1998) have shown the talent of the best of them to the international experts. As for the major names in modern and contemporary art, these "other masters" are part of history.
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Permalink Reply by herve perdriolle on
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Looking back to look ahead
by K S Shekhawat Business Standard
Gallerists say 2009 will mark a transition in the way collectors hedge their choices. The aborted Osian’s auction — it was scheduled to be held at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai on November 27 — would have been a pointer to a major trend in 2009 : The emergence for collectors of traditional and folk art forms.
> read more
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Permalink Reply by herve perdriolle on
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Leading auctioneer Osian’s has notched up a total sale of over Rs 8 crore at its recent auction of Indian Modern & Contemporary Art and Craft.
By Ashok Nag Economic Times.
"Interest for India’s first professional public auction of contemporary craft was evident as the prices attracted three times more than its lower estimate. Bids climbed as bidders upped the price of each lot that went under the hammer," Niranjan Desai, Osian’s spokesperson told ET... "The consequences of this auction will be enormous for all the artisans and crafts people of India. It is a huge challenge to absorb this financial high," said Desai.
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