Page 83 - Iconic Masters October2023
P. 83
Lot No. 68
HIMMAT SHAH
b. 1933
UNTITLED (ED: 3/5)
52 x 16 x 7.5 in (132.1 x 40.6 x 19.1 cm)
Bronze
Signed: On The Reverse
` 25,00,000 - 30,00,000 | $ 29,412 - 35,294
Exhibited : ‘Himmat in London’ at Saffronart, Mumbai,
17th December, 2021 - 13th February, 2022.
Published: ‘Himmat in London’ by Saffronart, pg. 22-23.
Provenance: Property from an international collection.
Artwork was acquired by the present owner directly
from the artist.
This lot will be offered without a reserve.
Influential sculptor Himmat Shah was born in Lothal,
Gujarat in 1933. Upon joining Gharshala, a school
affiliated with cultural hub Dakshinamurthy, he was
Front view
taught by artist Jagubhai Shah. Enrolling at J.J. School
of Art in Bombay too helped him hone his skills. He
then moved to Baroda with a government scholarship
and studied painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts at M.S.
Cover of the publication with the work illustrated. University in Baroda from 1956 to 1960. Growing up
around the remains of the Indus civilisation and learning
from the likes of N.S. Bendre and K.G. Subramanyan
would later help Shah amalgamate Indian traditional
folk art and modernism in his works.
His scholarship-aided studies in Paris and frequent
visits to European museums facilitated his exposure
to international modernism, which he would later
incorporate into his bold works. He returned to India
and began to execute sculptures in terracotta. He later
moved on to bronze as one of his signature mediums.
His unique artistic vision, distinct techniques and
modernist approach to creating impressive abstract
sculptures earned the sculptor recognition globally.