Most Expensive Indian Painting: Recently the auction of a painting has taken Indian art to a record high. Story Teller Oil, a canvas work by renowned 20th century Sikh-Hungarian artist Amrita Sher-Gil, fetched a staggering ₹61.8 crore, making it India’s most expensive artwork to be auctioned. Let us tell you that before this, the most expensive artwork was Gestation by painter Syed Haider Raza, which was sold just 10 days ago for ₹ 51.75 crore.
The painting earned more than Rs 181 crore
As the only successful woman artist in India, Sher-Gil’s painting topping the charts is perhaps the biggest thing for an artist. This painting, which was sold at SaffronArt’s auction in Oberoi, New Delhi, has earned a total of more than ₹ 181 crore.
“He is one of the national art treasures of India and it is very rare for a work of this type to come up for sale,” an official of the auction house said on behalf of the Mint. Sher-Gil has been auctioned about 84 times, the most. The older Art Village Group was sold in 1992 and the latest ‘Untitled’ was sold in 2023. Let us also tell you that Village Group is one of the artist’s finest works which depicts a group of women.
What are the special features of this painting?
The painting depicts a village. In which some women are sitting, some on the floor and some on the cot. Along with these women are cows, a calf, a dog and a man standing at the door.
The storyteller establishes a distinctive artistic language that combines both Pahari and Parisian influences. It depicts a group of women relaxing in an open space while they are busy with their independent activities.
Who is Amrita Shergill?
Amrita Shergil was born in 1913 in Budapest. His father’s name was Umrao Singh and mother’s name was Hungary and her full name was Antoinette Shergill. She was only 5 years old when she discovered her talent and started making paintings. Seeing his inclination towards paintings, his parents took him to Paris at the age of 16.
He spent his 5 years there. At the age of 17, he made a portrait of himself. In 1932, his painting ‘Young Girls’ won the gold medal of the Grand Salon.
Amrita’s life lasted only 28 years. But in such a short time he had made a name for himself throughout the world. Amrita’s work has been described as a national treasure in India. This means it is illegal to take his paintings out of India.