Page 50 - AstaGuru Masters Legacy April 2024

Lot No. 8

SAILOZ MOOKHERJEA
1906-1960

UNTITLED
26 x 32 in (66 x 81.2 cm)
Oil on canvas
Signed: Top Left

` 10,00,000 - 15,00,000 | $12,195 - 18,293

Exhibited: ‘Revisiting Sailoz Mookherjea’ at
Dhoomimal Art Centre, New Delhi, 28 October - 30
November 2017

Published: ‘Revisiting Sailoz Mookherjea’ by
Dhoomimal Art Centre, 2017, pg 120-121

‘The Sunday Guardian’ 22-28 October supplement,
pg. 23

Provenance: Property from an important collection
based in New Delhi.

This lot is a National Art Treasure - Non Exportable
Item (payment only in Indian Rupees)

One of India’s earliest pioneers of modern painting,
Sailoz Mookherje was born in Kolkata in 1907 and
started his artistic journey with a diploma in Fine
Arts from the Government College of Arts and
Crafts, Calcutta, in 1932. His professional path
led him to teach at Delhi Polytechnic and assume
the role of Art Director at the Imperial Tobacco
Company before he relocated to Paris in 1937.

His sojourn in Europe brought a significant evolution
to his artistic style, though his thematic focus
remained rooted in rural Indian life and landscapes.
Mookherjea’s later works witnessed a departure
from traditional forms as he embraced the style
of arbitrary scribbles and intermingling colours.

Mookherjea’s contribution to Indian art earned him
the esteemed title of ‘National Art Treasure’ by the
Government of India. The artist passed away in 1960.