Page 15 - Iconic Masters October2023

Lot No. 4
AMRITA SHER-GIL
1913-1941

UNTITLED
13 x 9.3 in (33 x 23.6 cm)
Charcoal on paper
Circa 1930
` 25,00,000 - 30,00,000
$ 29,412 - 35,294

Provenance: Property from a private collection based
in North India. Artwork was acquired by the present
owner from AstaGuru.

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

In the early 1930s, renowned artist Amrita Sher-Gil
enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts to master the
academic style of painting. Here she trained under
Lucien Simon, a French Post-Impressionist artist who
Certificate of Authenticity
was known for his portraits and traditional provincial
landscapes. During this time, Amrita, still in her late
teens, would execute many impressive nude studies
of both male and female figures, in charcoal. The
models were often friends, family, classmates or
professionals. Like many of her nude studies of the
time, the presented lot features bold lines and reflects
Sher-Gil’s unabashed style.

This was an important time for Sher-Gil as she
discovered her love for oil paints and made several
works that earned her a distinct reputation globally.
She was elected as an Associate of the Grand Salon,
Paris, in 1933, at the young age of nineteen. She was
also awarded a gold medal at Ecole des BeauxArts,
becoming the youngest and only Asian to receive the
honour.