Osian's Auction Catalogue Masterpieces and Museum-Quality III | March 2004

69 MASTERPIECES & MUSEUM-QUALITY III “ The true significance of Chittoprasad’s work lies in his deep and profound understanding of the suffering and struggle of the ordinary Indian people and also his knowledge and command over the cultural traditions to which he belonged. When the rest of his contemporaries were debating on what should be the character of Indian art – whether to identify with the classical Indian tradition or to borrow from the Western idiom – Chittaprosad, along with a few artists, faced the greater social reality of his time and painted them with natural ease, power and conviction.” (Amit Mukhopadhyay, from ‘Chittaprosad: Humanist and Patriot’, rpt. in Art Heritage Journal 5, 1985-6 ; pp.75-6.) OSIANs S.I.R. ANALYSIS [1999-2003] Present Estimate 771.71 Previous Highs 2,595.41 [Os.Mum/24.02.01] 2,097.64 [Os.Mum/14.08.02] Previous Average 298.47 For works on paper Opinion It is now just a matter of time before Chittaprosad’s originality and artistic integrity finds its historical context and significance, especially within India, for ironically he is far better appreciated internationally. Already many of the world’s top museums are scouting for some of his best works, and within a very short time, most of the masterpieces will be out of reach for the individual collector. I have no doubts that within a period of one or two years his average S.I.R. will hover between 900 & 1000, rivalling & eventually outpricing his more famous contemporary, Zainul Abedin.