Bid & Hammer’s first auction of 2021 is the latest in the ‘No-Reserve Auction of Indian Art’ series and is being held online from 4th to 5th February. This edition features Bengal school great Jamini Roy alongside sculptor Chintamoni Kar and other prominent artists from the same region. Abstractionist Prabhakar Barwe’s work once again appears with that of Laxman Pai, K H Ara, and K K Hebbar. Contemporary artist Gurudas Shenoy and Modern Indian art legend M F Husain complete the line-up.

Jamini Roy's tempera on bark wood depicting Krishna playing the imaginary flute is priced at Rs 2,50,000 – 3,50,000. Chintamoni Kar’s bronze sculpture from the Nymph series is on offer at Rs 5,00,000 – Rs 7,00,000 whereas a charcoal on paper Bull by Sunil Das from his Spain trip of 1962 is estimated at Rs 1,50,000 – 2,50,000. Prolific painter Lalu Shaw’s painting of a Bengali lady rounds up the Bengal connection in this auction. The unique proposition of Bid & Hammer’s absolute auctions which has caught the fancy of collectors is that there is no minimum bid or starting price, so these works can be acquired at very good deals.

The founder members of the Bombay Progressive Artists Group (PAG) Krishnaji Howlaji Ara and Maqbool Fida Husain works are the other ones to look out for. Ara’s village scene of a hut from 1948 is a noteworthy pastel & crayon work, whereas the most expensive one is by Husain that is valued at Rs 45 – 65 lakhs. Showing three horses against an earthy background, the provenance of the painting is from the artist’s family, who do not wish to sell it at just any price. Hence, the auctioneers have categorically mentioned that bidding on this 2001 painting would start at a reserve. One will have to register for the auction and pay the mandatory earnest deposit before being approved to bid.

To view the artworks on offer visit the website www.bidandhammer.com or download the mobile application from the Google Playstore or iOS Store. For the uninitiated, Bid & Hammer is an auction house with Royal Patronage, established by the Dadha’s known for over 100 years of enterprise.