From a rare 1940 set of three sketches by modernist painter Syed Haider Raza and M F Husain's oil on canvas titled "Village Women" (1960) to a portrait of a yogi by Arpana Caur and Jitish Kallat's contemplative drawings, the ongoing India Art Fair here is showcasing both modernists and contemporary artists at their best.
Raza's Untitled sketches, that were among the last works in the medium by the painter before he shifted to abstracts, marked a significant change in the artist's career.
The artworks that can be viewed at the Crayon Art Gallery booth at the fair, are displayed alongside an Untitled work (1988) from Tyeb Mehta's sketchbook.
One of the paintings from Ram Kumar's popular 'Benaras' series in which he sheds light on the human condition in dilapidated, crammed houses while expressing a sense of hopelessness in the dingy lanes of the city, is also featured at the gallery booth.
"Being a secondary market gallery we usually display some of the rare and selected art pieces of the Indian masters, which are fresh to the eyes of art collectors.
"All these artists have had a remarkable journey while displaying the strength of Indian art on international platforms," says Amit Vadhera from the gallery.
The gallery which has artworks ranging from from Rs 15 lakhs to Rs 3 crore, is also showcasing paintings and sculptures by pioneers of Indian art like Vasudeo S Gaitonde and Krishen Khanna.
Works from the "Yogi" series by Arpana Caur, one of the leading contemporary women artists of the country can be found at the booth by Gallerie Navya, which has curated a show titled, "KAIROS" for the fair.
In vibrant hues of yellows, pinks and blues, the oil on canvas portrait by Caur showcases spirituality transcending into love, which the artist believes has the power to offset the negativity in the world.
Modernist painter Jamini Roy's famous "Ram, Laxman and Sita" series is also a part of the gallery's collection.
"The biggest challenge while curating a show for an art fair like this is to bring something really refreshing for the collectors. We like to show a good mix of modern as well as contemporary art works at affordable prices," says Meher Kalra, Executive Director at Gallerie Nvya.
The art pieces are priced between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 40 lakhs.
Contemporary artist and painter Akbar Padamsee is sharing space with painter Jogen Chowdhury at the Mumbai-based Priyashri Art Gallery booth.
Titled "SCHEMA" which has been specially curated for the fair is showcasing drawing-based works.
"Both artists give a lot of importance to drawings vis-a-vis today's artists. The best thing about them is that they are very good draftsmen and explore lines on paper or canvas in different forms.
"They have a unique matrix of working on the white base, which we wanted to explore, and hence asked both of them to come up with new works especially for the fair," says Priyashri, the owner of the gallery.
N S Harsha's work at Chemould Prescott Road booth taps into collective consciousness driven by political, social, religious and cultural issues.
The gallery is also showcasing Kallat's drawings from his series 'Rain Study' that tends to participate in the "near currents of the atmospheric to summon images that invoke the astronomical".
"When you have so many works from so many galleries, it is important that they bring significant works. The selected artworks are from our latest collection of the artists.
"Art fairs have become a platform for new ideas to be shown. The works by N S Harsha is an example of a showstopper in our gallery booth," says Shireen Gandhy, owner of the gallery.
The three-day fair that opened for the public on February 3 at the NSIC grounds here, is set to conclude on February 5.
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