London, June 10: A self-portrait of Amrita Sher-Gil, done by the artist in 1931 when she was only 18, fetched £1,762,500 at auction at Christie's in London today.
Sher-Gil's oil on canvas, measuring 65cm x 54 cm - Lot 11 - was the star of today's South Asian and Contemporary Art auction conducted by William Robinson, head of world art at Christie's.
The auctioneers had estimated it would fetch between £1 million and £1.8 million so they got the price about right.
Robinson started off the bidding at £700,000. Thereafter, it climbed quickly to £800,000 through the magic "million pound" barrier, to £1.3 million, then £1,350,000 and £1.4 million to the point when Robinson brought down the hammer at £1.5million.
With commission and other taxes, the buyer has to pay £1,762,500. Prices were shown in rupees, along with pounds, dollars, euros and roubles. The bidding was done on behalf of the anonymous buyer by Amin Jaffer, Christie's international director.
According to Christie's, "Amrita Sher-Gil was a pioneer in the history of modern Indian art, and in the 28 years of her brief life was a revolution personified. Born in Budapest to a Hungarian mother and an Indian father, Sher-Gil was a tour de force in the landscape of Modernism in British India. Living between India, Hungary and France, Sher-Gil painted the life of people and her surroundings with an intensity that remains unparalleled in modern Indian art."
Many well known artists were auctioned today - from M.F. Husain to Syed Haider Raza, Francis Newton Souza, Abdur Rahman Chugtai, Jahangir Sabavala and Vasudeo S Gaitonde. The Sher-Gil portrait had been the "property of a gentleman, France".
Lot one was a watercolour on paper laid on wood - a Calcutta scene most probably - done in 1920 by Tagore's nephew, Gaganendranath Tagore (1867-1938).
Its provenance was given as: "Acquired while working in India circa 1950s, thence by descent."
Estimated to fetch between £10,000 and £15,000, it did much better - the hammer came down at £45,000, which means the buyer will have to pay £56, 250.
Jamini Roy will always have his admirers. A painting of Standing Women, 80cm x 40cm, was estimated to fetch between £8,000 and £12,000.
It sold for £10,625.
