Of growing interest

Using the cylindrical form, Das used it to create sculptures that spoke of relationships and the bonds of a shared humanity

In recent years, art lovers have had occasion to both view and acquire works by one of India’s earliest modernists, Prodosh Das Gupta — an exhibition of whose works concluded recently at New Delhi’s Shridharani Gallery. Born in 1912, Prodosh Das Gupta was also the first curator of the National Gallery of Modern Art and was, no doubt, instrumental in acquiring some of its stunning sculpture collection. Far less is made of NGMA’s body of sculptures than its collection of paintings, though to be fair its current director general has been bringing more focus to bear on it than at any time previously. 

Das Gupta is important chiefly for breaking the mould of sentimentality that marred early experiments in sculptural practice. His early training in art schools in Madras (now Chennai) and Lucknow would have been along conventional, academic lines. Modernist interventions in the period before and after independence were few, of whom notable exception may be made of his predecessor Ramkinjar Baij in Santiniketan, A D Davierwalla in Bombay (now Mumbai), Chintamoni Kar in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Dhanraj Bhagat in New Delhi. Part of his chutzpah came from further art education that he received in London, including at the Royal College of Art — the influence of Henry Moore on his early practice is quite evident — as well as at Ecole de Grand Chaumier in Paris. He learned to cast at LCC Central School in London. On his return to India, he was instrumental in establishing the Calcutta Group in 1940, an early artist collective that held its first exhibition in 1943 in the city.

Prodosh Das Gupta’s preferred medium was bronze, and he broke from pre-conceived notions of sculpture to create stunning works and series that have won him more collectors now than at any other time in the past. A tactility is evident in his work. Forms emerge from what look like lumps of clay, or chiselled roughly from stone — a technique he perused in his early career before he moved on to a more polished surface, something he explored most successfully in his Egg series in which the oblong ovoids became his shape of choice. Using the cylindrical form, he used it to create sculptures that spoke of relationships and the bonds of a shared humanity. For most part, he worked in sizes that were relatable. His were indoor sculptures intended to be viewed for their inherent empathy. 

Das Gupta passed away in 1991 and a retrospective of his work was held at NGMA in 2008, during which period his work continued to attract attention, but has since grown into more lively interest as collectors have let their attention wander to include sculpture. His spot in the country’s art history makes him an important contributor to it, ensuring that awareness of his work will sustain for decades to come. More works came up for auction in 2019 than at any time previously, and the trend is likely to continue in 2020 as they continue to be made available — at least in part from the family estate. Regular exhibitions of his sculptures contribute to his significance.

The value around his work has been growing commensurate with the interest around it, but it is when works become scarcer that prices will truly soar. That may be a few years from now, since Das Gupta was meticulous about creating editions of his work — five, mostly; but sometimes more. As these editions get absorbed by younger, millennial collectors, a hardening is certain, making this one of the best times to acquire his work — as much for the choice currently on offer as for its exceptional value. 

Kishore Singh is a Delhi-based writer and art critic. These views are personal and do not reflect those of the organisation with which he is associated