Osian's Auction Catalogue The Masterpieces and Museum Quality Series | October 2004

90 OSIAN ’ s–CONNOISSEURS OF ART ‘The terracotta heads seen togeth- er may appear stiff, remote and withdrawn, yet each is invested with a unique presence that holds rich surprises and unfolds layered realities that take reference from the lived space of Himmat Shah’s world.’ Nuzhat Kazmi, rpt. in Himmat Shah: Sculpture Art Heritage 2000 ExC . THE NEGLECTED GENIUS OF HIMMAT SHAH ‘Himmat Shah is a restless soul, experimenting, visualizing, experienc- ing, and having glimpses of eternity from time to time. Having been born in the port of Lothal, he has close links with Harappan art. His love of common clay originated from his land of birth… Each head resembles every other head and at the same time, each is entirely differ- ent from another. This arises out of Himmat’s vision and also out of his ceaseless wish to experiment... the heads have been baked at different temperatures and the material also has been modified by adding a little brick dust here and a little something there. There is also variation in the temperatures which results in different types of glaze, colour and even expression.’ – Art Critic, rpt. in Patriot 8 February 1983. ‘Himmat, restlessly experiment- ing in perhaps the oldest medium of artistic expression, works like a power-packed dynamo, varying the texture, changing the banking temperature, varying the colour and the clay, turning the inert and the lifeless into human heads, breathing life and emotions into them.’ – Art Critic, rpt. in The Indian Express 3 February 1983.