Osian's Auction Catalogue Creative India Series 1 Bengal | December 2011

s ankho C haudhuRi 25 February 1916 – 28 August 2006 Woman Stone (Single edition), 2000-04 58.3 x 16.5 x 11.8 in (148 x 42.0 x 30.0 cm) Provenance Acquired directly from the artist in 2004. ` 2,000,000 – 3,000,000 US$ 40,000 – 60,000 101 1780 1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1910 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1980 1990 1995 2000 2005 “Sankho’s achievement in contemporary Indian sculpture is indeed a highly significant one and fortunately like the guild masters of old he has also the gift of imparting his spirit to his pupils without imposing his ideas on them as can be seen from the output of the Baroda School in its plastic creations. In this respect both he and that splendid painter Bendre are alike for they have both nurtured an entire generation of artists and sculptors of high merit from the self same ASHRAM.” [Karl Khandalavala, rpt. In Appasamy, Jaya [1970]. Sankho Chaudhuri (Contemporary Indian Art Monograph Series). New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi; np] Sankho Chaudhuri had been a student of Ram Kinkar Baij at Santiniketan. He worked with Ram Kinkar on large outdoor sculptures and accompanied him to Nepal, where he learnty the traditional methods of bronze casting used for ritual objects. Like his mentor, he was a portraitist and also made monumental sculpture, but it would be a mistake to look for similarities of style or sensibility. Sankho’s interest in formal design was in response to the prevailing modernist aesthetic, and though he deeply respected his teacher, he looked forward to a new contemporaneity in Nehru’s India.” [Nilima Sheikh, rpt. In Sheikh, Gulammohammed [1997]. Contemporary Art in Baroda. New Delhi: Tulika Books; p.91] 225 224 Creative India BENGAL | Somnath Hore & Santiniketan