Tuesday 15 June 2021
Premalya Singh (Indian, 1929-2017), Geet Govinda II, 1989, bronze sculpture, 53.3cm. high
View MoreLot 235
Description
Premalya Singh (Indian, 1929-2017), Geet Govinda II, 1989, bronze sculpture, 53.3cm. high
Provenance: Private London Collection acquired directly from the artist
The work is part of a series the artist did after reading a translation in Sanskrit of the 13th century poet Jaidev Ashtapadis, songs in eight parts describing the passionate love between Radha and Krishna.
Sculptor Premalya Singh was born in 1929, and lived and worked in New Delhi. Her bronze and terracotta sculptures evoke figurative traditions, yet are uncompromisingly spare and contemporary. Art critic Suneet Chopra has said her work "reminds one of that great breed of contemporary Indian sculptors from Ramkinkar Baij to Somenath Hore and Meera Mukherjee" (Metal and Clay, exhibition catalogue, Nov. 9-15th, 1994, Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay, p. 2).
Even as a child in the North-West Frontier Province, Premalya was interested in art, especially sculpture. After Partition, she went to Kala Bhavan, Shanti Niketan, 1949-51, then studied in what is now the Delhi College of Art. She was fortunate to work under the guidance of some of Indias great modern masters, Nandlal Bose, Ramkinkar Baij, Dhanraj Bhagat, Sudhir Khastagir, BC Sanyal and Biren De.
Her work takes simple subjects drawn from life around her, such as boys at play, performers, pilgrims and just people. These beautiful studies are distinct individuals rather than types or symbols. Yet the figures are captured in moments of being joy, repose and utter self-forgetfulness that allow them to transcend time and place. Sometimes she draws her inspiration from classical Indian literature such as her series on Geet Govinda, the 12th century poem that celebrates the love of Krishna and Radha.
Singhs work is in collections at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi; Roopankar, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal; India Tobacco Company, New Delhi; Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi; Kumar Gallery New Delhi; Madhavan Art Gallery Kochi; Sakshi Gallery and at many other places across the world. She has been working at the Lalit Kala Studios, Garhi, since 1984.
Solo Exhibitions:
'Metal and Clay III 2010
- Gallery Romain Rolland, Alliance Francaise, New Delhi
'Moments of Being 2007
- GV Art, Bharat Vidya Bhavan, London
'Metal and Clay 1994
- Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
'Bronzes and Terracottas, Metal and Clay 1990
- Inder Pasricha Gallery, The Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi
Fees & VAT
Buyer's Premium
The buyer shall pay the hammer price together with a premium thereon of 26% up to £20,000 (31.2% inclusive of VAT), 25% from £20,001 - £500,000 (30% inclusive of VAT), 20% from £500,001 thereafter (24% inclusive of VAT). The premium price is subject to VAT at the standard rate.
VAT
VAT is not charged on the hammer price unless it is stated that there is 'VAT applicable on the hammer price at the end of the description. Buyer's premium is subject to VAT.(ARR) - ARTIST'S RESALE RIGHT
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