Important Notice

In the late 1950s, Gaitonde began departing from Klee's lyrical colours and lines towards a nonrepresentational- or "non-objective," as he preferred to call it - mode of painting. In the artistic milieu of that time, figuration was more popular, and Gaitonde was one of the few artists who moved towards abstraction, although he repeatedly rejected that term. Between 1957-1958, Gaitonde explored a brief phase in printmaking. Two of the works he... In the late 1950s, Gaitonde began departing from Klee's lyrical colours and lines towards a nonrepresentational- or "non-objective," as he preferred to call it - mode of painting. In the artistic milieu of that time, figuration was more popular, and Gaitonde was one of the few artists who moved towards abstraction, although he repeatedly rejected that term. Between 1957-1958, Gaitonde explored a brief phase in printmaking. Two of the works he made during this year were shown at the First Young Asian Artists Exhibition in Tokyo, and won him the Fleischmann Prize, a cash award of 1,00,000 yen. According to Nadkarni, "Here the break from the conventions of representational art is complete; the visual entity is complete by itself, an organic fact. Surely, here were the first stirrings of what the painter was to essay very soon... I would suggest we look at these different linear treatments not as something merely technical but propelled by a deep humanity, by a sustained interest in the dynamic nature of life. This was sometime before Gaitonde discovered this dynamism in that entity called space itself, in the phenomenon called colour." (Nadkarni, Gaitonde, 1983)

During this time, Gaitonde was working out of a small studio at the Bhulabhai Desai Memorial Institute, a multidisciplinary cultural centre in then Bombay which remained the nexus for many luminaries in the field of art, theatre and music until its closing in 1967. Working alongside important figures such as eminent theatre director Ebrahim Alkazi, the classical music maestro Pt. Ravi Shankar, and artists M F Husain, Tyeb Mehta, Nasreen Mohamedi and B Prabha, provided Gaitonde with a unique environment to grow and flourish as an artist.

Painted in 1958, lot 50, a deep red painting with fragmented abstract planes, is one such work from this period. "Geometrically rigid in composition, these paintings sport a style of flat, monochromatic, application of paint which was quite the vogue in the early fifties. For a few painters this manner was a discovery made in Paris; but, despite the architectural quality of these abstractions and the intelligent deployment of light, in Gaitonde's case it was a totally indigenous expression." (Nadkarni, Gaitonde, 1983)

Although it was a brief phase in his career, it garnered a lot of positive attention from art critics. According to Foy Nissen, "Gaitonde seems to have mastered a relationship between linear structure and colour in a deceptively simple manner. It is an emotionally perceived relationship in which colours 'speak' without an obtrusive emphasis on their physical properties as paint..." (Nissen, 1958, quoted in Gaitonde, 1983)

Nissen attributed a sensual quality to these works, which allowed the "delicately poised juxtapositions of colour-planes" to complement and balance each other. Maintaining some of the luminescent forms from the Klee period, works such as lot 50 also explore the possibilities of texture and light-fundamental aspects of Gaitonde's art that he would perfect in his later paintings, making them highly coveted among collectors globally.

As Gaitonde's mode of expression evolved, so did his medium. In 1959, a year after lot 50 was painted, Gaitonde stopped working with watercolours and brushes altogether, choosing instead to use rollers and palette knives to create layers of translucency on his canvas punctuated by areas of thick impasto. In 1961, he shifted to a monochromatic palette. This was accompanied by a deep abiding interest in Zen Buddhism and the principles of calligraphy, manifesting in a series of ink and wash works on paper and canvasses in the 1960s. This preoccupation was the stepping-stone for Gaitonde's turn towards abstraction. "A turning point in his life came after his encounter with Zen Buddhism through the book Zen in the Art of Archery. His engagement with Zen also gave him a deeper understanding of nature and his early forays into the realm of abstraction were evocative of both sea and landscape." (Menezes, p. 27) He was also inclined towards the philosophical and spiritual teachings of J Krishnamurti and Ramana Maharshi.

In 1964, Gaitonde travelled to the United States on a John D Rockefeller III Foundation Fellowship grant, where he was exposed to the post-war art of America and Europe. The work of Abstract Expressionists such as Mark Rothko led to Gaitonde's progression towards a further "purity of expression" through which dimensions beyond the surface of a canvas are revealed through the interplay of space, colour and light.

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF URMILA AND THE LATE GUNVANT MANGALDAS

Gunvant Mangaldas was one of the earliest collectors of modern Indian art. The Ahmedabad-based businessman and his wife, Urmila, were patrons to important Modernists, particularly those from the Progressive Artists' Group and their associates, and formed enduring friendships with many of them.

After studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan, where he first developed an interest in art, Gunvant Mangaldas returned to Ahmedabad and began actively pursuing this passion. This was during the early 1950s, when the PAG artists and their contemporaries were in the early stages of establishing their presence as formidable artists in post-Independent India, while discovering a unique modern identity in Indian art. One of the key figures in this movement was Bal Chhabda, a strong supporter of the arts and owner of the erstwhile Gallery 59, where he often showcased works by these promising artists. A school friend of Gunvant Mangaldas, Chhabda introduced the couple to this world and thus began their life-long journey of collecting art. It was through Chhabda (and his wife, Jeet), whom they were visiting in Kashmir in 1965, that the Mangaldases met Ram Kumar for the first time. It was around the same year when lot 48 was painted. Their friendship continued, and on his rare visits to Ahmedabad, he often spent time with them.

Likewise, the Mangaldases were also involved in a similar art movement that had emerged in Ahmedabad aroundthis time, formed by artists Bhanwar Singh Panwar, Maansingh Chaara, Piraji Sagara, and others. Calling themselves the 'Progressive Painters of Ahmedabad', they sought to establish an art presence in their city. Gunvant Mangaldas was one of their earliest supporters, and generously opened his home to them to hold their first few meetings.

In many respects, the Mangaldases home, Vihan - designed by various architects, including the eminent B V Doshi, one of India's foremost architects and recent winner of the 2018 Pritzker Architecture Prize - was a welcome haven for many artists and luminaries during their travels to Ahmedabad. Some of their first guests during its housewarming included Chhabda, artists V S Gaitonde and Tyeb Mehta who came from Bombay, and Ram Kumar and Krishen Khanna from Delhi. Similarly, S H Raza and his wife Janine Mongillat, as well as Natvar Bhavsar and his wife Janet Brosious, often stayed with them when visiting the city.

In 1974, the Mangaldases hosted an evening soiree that was attended by internationally renowned American architect Louis Kahn, who was in town to oversee further work on his project designs for the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad - for which Doshi was an associate architect. Urmila Mangaldas remembers: "A relaxed Kahn sat on the marble projection in the veranda, conversing with a group of young architects. He also looked around later, professionally, appreciatively, and critically, at the building. For me, to have this pleasant, unassuming and learned man as our guest was no ordinary event." The charming memory of this meeting inevitably turned to one of sorrow by the tragic circumstances of Kahn's death, who unexpectedly passed away on his journey back to the US.

It was at the Mangaldases house that M F Husain met B V Doshi, and they began planning the design for Husain's dream project of an underground art museum in Ahmedabad - initially known as the Husain-Doshi Gufa, and later changed to Amdavad ni Gufa as a tribute to the city. Upon completion, Mangaldas-who had worked closely on this project during its construction to ensure that it ran smoothly-also served as the museum gallery's founder-chairman for several years, until he had to step down for health reasons. During his tenure, he convinced Ram Kumar to hold an exhibition of his works there. The show attracted a lot of attention and was almost sold out. According to Urmila Mangaldas, however, Kumar appeared to be unhappy every time a new sale was made: "He explained to me: he took long to finish a work. Usually, someone commissions a work so he seldom has a surplus."

In many ways, the Mangaldases - and their home - inhabit an important corner in modern Indian art history. Lots 48 and 50, once part of the Mangaldases carefully curated and preserved collection, are a testament to their discerning tastes, unwavering support of these artists, and long-standing commitment to Indian art.

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