Atul Dodiya
(1959)
Portrait of Niko Pirosmani (1862-1918)
The present lot was first exhibited in 2007 as part of Atul Dodiya’s
exhibition Shri Khakhar Prasanna, in memory of his friend and
contemporary Bhupen Khakhar. Held at Gallery Chemould in
Mumbai, the exhibition featured busts and portraits of Khakhar,
as well as works representative of the people and experiences
influential to Khakhar’s life and practice, such as Niko Pirosmani,
a Georgian painter, pictured in the present lot. Pirosmani...
The present lot was first exhibited in 2007 as part of Atul Dodiya’s
exhibition Shri Khakhar Prasanna, in memory of his friend and
contemporary Bhupen Khakhar. Held at Gallery Chemould in
Mumbai, the exhibition featured busts and portraits of Khakhar,
as well as works representative of the people and experiences
influential to Khakhar’s life and practice, such as Niko Pirosmani,
a Georgian painter, pictured in the present lot. Pirosmani was
known for creating works about everyday life and professions
as well as the social milieu of his time, in the same way that
Khakhar would do later. Although he struggled financially
during his lifetime, Pirosmani gained international recognition as
an artist posthumously.
In this large photorealistic portrait of Pirosmani, Dodiya combines
painting with sculptural elements. Created using enamel paint
on a laminated board, it is overlaid with two items of clothing
on iron hangers. The cotton kurta and pyjamas, placed on either
side of the portrait, are partially dyed as a tribute to Khakhar’s
practice of dyeing his clothes black so that he could reuse them
as aprons when he painted.
Dodiya considered Khakhar an important influence and mentor,
and has recurrently featured and referenced Khakhar in his work.
“From him I understood how to use elements and details from
daily life that were conventionally never used in painting… I
also admired Khakhar’s boldness and his humour. I learnt that
painting did not always have to be serious – it could also be
witty and irreverent.” (Dodiya quoted in Chandrahas Choudhury,
“Mosaic of Gambles,” Tehelka, 10 February 2007, online) Dodiya’s
works are often semi?autobiographical and intertextual, and his
later works employ mixed media, personal and found objects, all
of which can be seen in the present lot.
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Lot
77
of
89
SPRING ONLINE AUCTION
27-28 MARCH 2019
Estimate
$20,000 - 25,000
Rs 13,60,000 - 17,00,000
Winning Bid
$20,400
Rs 13,87,200
(Inclusive of Buyer's Premium)
USD payment only.
Why?
ARTWORK DETAILS
Atul Dodiya
Portrait of Niko Pirosmani (1862-1918)
Inscribed 'NIKO PIROSMANI/ (1862 - 1918)' (lower
centre); signed, dated twice and inscribed 'ATUL DODIYA/ -'Portrait of Niko Pirosmani'/ -2005/ - Atul./ 05' (on the reverse)
2005
Enamel paint on laminate board, cotton kurta and cotton pyjamas on iron hangers
72 x 48 in (183 x 122 cm)
PROVENANCE Property from an Important Collection, UK
EXHIBITED: Atul Dodiya: Shri Khakhar Prasanna , Mumbai: Gallery Chemould, 2 February - 3 March 2007 The Empire Strikes Back: Indian Art Today , London: Saatchi Gallery, 29 January - 8 May 2010 La Route de la Soie , Lille: Tri Postal, 20 October 2010 - 16 January 2011 PUBLISHED: Shireen Gandhy, Ranjit Hoskote et al, Atul Dodiya: Shri Khakhar Prasanna , Mumbai: Gallery Chemould, 2007, p. 61 (installation view), p. 89 (illustrated) Zehra Jumabhoy, The Empire Strikes Back: Indian Art Today , London: Jonathan Cape, 2009, p. 28 (illustrated) La Route de La soie , Lille: Tri Postal (TBC), 2010, p. 38-39 (illustrated) Norman Rosenthal, Richard Cork et al, History of the Saatchi Gallery , London: Booth-Clibborn Editions, 2011, p. 799 (illustrated)
Category: Painting
Style: Figurative