Dubai art house claims paintings at Christies auction fake

A Dubai-based art-house owner has alleged that two paintings up for bidding at Christies auction here tomorrow are fake.

Founder and CEO of Alturaash Art Dubai, UAE, Asif Kamal has challenged the authenticity of two of the works coming up in one of the biggest auctions of the country tomorrow, in Mumbai by the world's renowned auction house - Christies at the Christies India Sale.

These are the works of J Swaminathan and SH Raza.

Kamal believes that some of the art works on sale are not genuine, as catalogued by Christies.

The objectionable pieces as per the auction catalogue include Lot no (39). Artist : S H Raza born (1922) Bindu Size 155X 150 cm Medium: Acrylic on canvas Painted in 1983 and Lot no (26) Artist: Jagdish Swaminathan (1928-1994) Titled: (Bird, tree and mountain series) Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: 74.9X 89.9 cm Painted in 1988.
 

Both the paintings are likely to fetch a price in the order of Rs 15-20 crores.

Kamal having challenged the authenticity of the works has taken a legal recourse and sent Christies a notice, a spokesperson for the art-house owner said.