Page 86 - Iconic Masters October2023

Lot No. 72
BAL CHHABDA
1923-2013

UNTITLED
72 x 36 in (182 x 91.4 cm)
Oil on canvas
1985
Signed & Dated: Verso

` 15,00,000 - 20,00,000 | $ 17,647 - 23,529
Provenance: Property from a private collection based
in Mumbai. Artwork was acquired by the present
owner directly from the artist.

This lot will be offered without a reserve.

Born in 1923 in Punjab, Bal Chhabda was renowned for
being a gallerist, collector, filmmaker and primarily,
a self-taught artist. He initially assisted in his family’s
film distribution business and held a passion for
filmmaking, releasing his only film ‘Do Raha’ in 1952.
However, meeting M.F. Husain changed the trajectory
of his career. With encouragement from Husain and V.S.
Gaitonde, Chhabda began painting in 1958. His oeuvre
seems filled with abstraction initially, but with closer
inspection one can recognise known forms and shapes
that have been masterfully distorted. These intriguing
forms have a lyrical quality despite the evident lack of
distinct boundaries. His loose brushstrokes diffuse the
forms, giving them a suspended appearance. The play
of colour in his works crafts its own spaces that give the
illusion of both intimacy and expansiveness.
Along with being associated with the highly influential
Progressive Artists’ Group, he also founded Gallery 59,
providing a much-needed space for contemporary
art of the time. Here, he exhibited works by young
artists, furthering their careers. He was the recipient
of important awards during his lifetime including the
Governor’s Award at the Tokyo Biennale in 1961 and
the Lalit Kala Akademi Award in 1965. The Jehangir
Art Gallery in Mumbai held a large retrospective of his
works in 2003.