Check out: Indian Art in London at Christie's

Extraordinary vision: Introducing a selection of outstanding Indian art and objects from classical to contemporary.

This year, Christie’s auction of South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art, taking place on 26 May at London King Street, will showcase iconic works by leading modern masters and rare, unseen pieces from distinguished private collections in the North America, Europe and South Asia.

Vasudeo S. Gaitonde is just one of the modern masters to feature in the sale, with three works including the seminal paintings Untitled(1958) and Untitled (1975). Over the past two years, Gaitonde has received unprecedented posthumous acclaim, and in December 2015 one of his paintings established a new world auction record for Indian modern art at Christie’s India Sale. A major retrospective at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice in 2014-15 cemented Gaitonde’s position as an artist of global repute.

Vasudeo S. Gaitonde (1924–2001), Untitled, 1975. Oil on canvas. 41 x 31 in. (104.1 x 78.7 cm.) Estimate £400,000–600,000. This work is offered in our South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art on 26 May at Christie’s London

Vasudeo S. Gaitonde (1924–2001), Untitled, 1958. Oil on canvas. 49 5/8 x 39 3/4; in. (126 x 101 cm.) Estimate £800,000–1,200,000. This work is offered in our South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art on 26 May at Christie’s London

Alongside Gaitonde, Francis Newton Souza’s depiction of North London where he lived and worked in the 1960’s will also be offered. Souza’s iconic thick, black, twisting line articulates corniced buildings and piercing steeple like chimneys, alluding to the Catholic architecture which appears throughout his oeuvre.

Francis Newton Souza (1924–2002), Untitled (Hampstead), 1963. Oil on canvas. 44 3/4; x 32 3/4; in. (113.7 x 83.2 cm.) Estimate £80,000–120,000. This work is offered in our South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art on 26 May at Christie’s London

Jamini Roy (1887–1972), Untitled (Krishna with Parrot). Tempera on canvas. 38 x 20 3/8 in. (96.5 x 51.8 cm.) Estimate £20,000–30,000. This work is offered in our South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art on 26 May at Christie’s London

The sale will also include some exceptional private collections ofJamini Roy paintings with impeccable provenance including a rare canvas depicting Krishna with Parrot from the collection of the late Lilavati and Professor Bengt Häger. Lilavati Häger was a leading exponent of Indian dance and her husband was one of the most important European dance impresarios of his day.

A rare and large tent canopy panel, Mughal Deccan, Central India, first half 18th century. 73 x 231in. (185.5 x 597cm.) Estimate: £15,000–20,000. This work is offered in our Art of India on 26 May at Christie’s London

An Illustration to a Ragamala Series : Bhaskar Putra Of Hindol Raga, Chamba, North India, circa 1700, 8 ½ x 6 ¼ in. (21.7 x 15.8 cm.) Estimate: £12,000–18,000. This work is offered in our Art of India on 26 May at Christie’s London.

A rampaging elephant, Sawar or Kotah, Rajasthan, North India, circa 1720. Estimate: £4,000–6,000. This work is offered in our Art of India on 26 May at Christie’s London.

The Arts of India sale will offer objects of great beauty and art-historical significance, comprising of 120 lots with estimates ranging from £2,000–180,000. The top lot is a carved ivory panel from Madurai, South India, dated to the late 17th century. Other panels from this impressive casket are now in major American Museums. This is amongst the best examples of Indian ivory carving from the 17th and 18th century.

The sale also offers two private collections of court paintings which were collected from the 1970s through to the early 1990s. They are offered with attractive estimates and exemplify the best schools of painting in North India. Highlights in particular are a portrait of a rampaging elephant, attributed to Sawar or Kotah, circa 1720 and a painting from a Ragamala series. Ragamala (or Garland of Ragas) paintings are the visual depictions of musical modes. This example is a fine illustration from this early 18th century series from Chamba, a state in the foothills of the Himalayas. The Pahari school is also well represented with a luminous painting of the Abduction of Rukmini, formerly in the Ehrenfeld Collection, painted by a Chamba artist in circa 1780-90.

A fine Nayaka ivory panel, probably Madurai, South India, late 17th century. Estimate: £120,000–180,000. This work is offered in our Art of India on 26 May at Christie’s London

The Arts of India sale also includes valuable textiles such as an important Mughal tent canopy panel which dates to the first half of the 18th century and was probably made in the Deccan, central India. It is a rare survival from a royal tent and is finely decorated with flowering vases. Also on offer is a captivating group of votive painted textiles (picchvais) from Rajasthan including a rare and large map of pilgrim sites along the Yamuna River.

The Online Only sale Images of Rajasthan: A Private collection of Indian paintings (17 May – 27 May 2016) showcases in 80 lots the captivating traditions of the Rajasthani schools of painting such as Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur. Estimates range from £700 to £4,000. A highlight is a vibrant portrait of two rulers painted in Alwar, Rajasthan, circa 1880.

Together, these exquisite works testify to the changing landscape of India’s visual culture – a country whose rich artistic tradition continues to inform its identity today. South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art and Arts of India, alongside Images of Rajasthan: A Private Collection of Indian Paintings celebrate two very different aspects of Indian art history, but offer masterpieces of international stature.

Recognised as the international auction leader for Indian Art, Christie’s has a longstanding commitment to this important and ever-growing market.