Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Ajay De's rickshaw paintings top fund-raising sale




New Delhi:
Two paintings by Kolkata-born artist Ajay De about the umbrella-carrying rickshaw puller meandering through crowded alleys have topped a fund-raising sale here. The 73 artworks by 39 artists sold under 30 minutes after the 'Art for Concern' exhibition, organised by Concern India Foundation, was thrown open last night. De's paintings, both 8x8 inch charcoal and acrylic work on paper, fetched Rs 67,500 apiece. Two works of Thota Vaikuntam sold for Rs 56,250 apiece. The 10x8 inches charcoal paintings on paper by the artist from Andhra Pradesh were named Man. This is a fund raising initiative. All the works have been priced under Rs 60,000, with most of the art pieces ranging between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000, said the organiser. This year, the buyers of the masterpieces were required to purchase any other painting by lesser-known artists. This was done so as to provide equal opportunities to all. Other notable sales were Ghanshyam Gupta's acrylic work Buddha (Rs 50,625), Bratin Khan's Krishna series (Rs 49,500 apiece), Gogi Saroj Pal's Kinnari series (Rs 49,500 apiece), and Akbar Padamsee's untitled pen and ink work (Rs 31,500). According to the organiser, the initiative is aimed at bringing forward the works of struggling and needy artists and providing them a platform to be visible alongside the masters. 

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