The Rise and Rise of Ganesh Pyne<\/a>.\u2019 I\u2019m borrowing this title again because nothing else sums up better the upward trajectory being experienced by the works of well-known Kolkata modernist Ganesh Pyne (1937-2013).<\/p>\nIn July 2023, when I assessed Pyne\u2019s faring at a few previous auctions, I had been forced to conclude: \u201cIt\u2019s clear that this is one name where people can safely place their hearts as even financially, it is not going to be a losing proposition in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2021, three of his works performed way above the estimates. His work, The Moon<\/em>, fetched Rs 79 lakh at Christie\u2019s, and The House<\/em> fetched Rs 1.1 crore at the same auction; both went for far more than the estimate. Same winter, at Saffronart, his work The Shadow<\/em> fetched Rs 1.08 crore. I had written: \u2018Ganesh Pyne, the modernist known for his individual style of poetic realism, has been skimming near the top of auction results for a few years now.\u2019<\/p>\nIn just three years, his works have reached the pointy top of the Indian art market pyramid, hitherto inhabited only by F. N. Souza, S. H. Raza, Tyeb Mehta, M. F. Husain, V. S. Gaitonde, Raja Ravi Varma and Amrita Sher-Gil. Pyne has finally become a member of the haloed club. The proof lies in the pudding as the Top 10 list of Indian artworks sold between January and June 2026, given below, features 4 works by Pyne, with a new record set for his works\u2014his 1979 tempera on canvas, The Fisherman,<\/em> sold for approx. Rs 44 crore or GBP 3.83 million (US$5.13 million) at a Christie\u2019s auction in London on June 11.<\/p>\nTop 10 Indian works of art between January and June 2026:<\/p>\n
\n- Raja Ravi Varma, Yashoda and Krishna, oil on canvas, circa 1890s<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Estimate: Rs 80 crore \u2013 Rs 120 crore (USD 8,602,155 \u2013 12,903,230)<\/p>\n
Realised: Rs 167.2 crore (USD 17,978,495)<\/p>\n
Saffronart Spring Live Auction, April 1, 2026<\/p>\n
\n- M. F. Husain, Second Act, oil on canvas laid on board, 1958<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Estimate: USD 2,800,000\u2013 USD 3,500,000 (Rs 26.4 crore \u2013 33.1 crore)<\/p>\n
Realised: USD 5,122,000 (Rs 48.3 crore)<\/p>\n
Sotheby\u2019s Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art Auction, March 26, 2026<\/p>\n
\n- Ganesh Pyne, The Fisherman, tempera on canvas, 1979<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Estimate: GBP 250,000 \u2013 GBP 350,000 (Rs 3.1 crore \u2013 4.3 crore)<\/p>\n
Realised: GBP 3,832,000 (Rs 47.7 crore)<\/p>\n
Christie\u2019s auction, Sublime Shadows: South Asian Art from a Distinguished Collection, June 11, 2026<\/p>\n
\n- Tyeb Mehta, Gesture, oil on canvas, 1977<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Estimate: USD 2,000,000 \u2013 USD 3,000,000 (Rs 18.8 crore \u2013 28.3 crore)<\/p>\n
Realised: USD 3,979,000 (Rs 37.5 crore)<\/p>\n
Christie\u2019s South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art Auction March 25, 2026<\/p>\n
\n- Raja Ravi Varma, Little Prince of Courage, oil on canvas, 1878<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Estimate: Rs 20 crore \u2013 30 crore<\/p>\n
Realised: Rs 30.88 crore<\/p>\n
AstaGuru, Modern Indian Art Collectors\u2019 Choice Auction, June 22-23, 2026<\/p>\n
\n- Ganesh Pyne, Under the Red Cloud (or The Amphibian), tempera on canvas, 1970<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Estimate: GBP 200,000 \u2013 GBP 300,000 (Rs 2.5 crore \u2013 3.7 crore)<\/p>\n
Realised: GBP 2,368,000 (Rs 29.5 crore)<\/p>\n
Christie\u2019s auction, Sublime Shadows: South Asian Art from a Distinguished Collection, June 11, 2026<\/p>\n
\n- Ganesh Pyne, Woman, The Serpent, tempera on canvas, 1975<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Estimate: GBP 200,000 \u2013 GBP 300,000 (Rs 2.5 crore \u2013 3.7 crore)<\/p>\n
Realised: GBP 2,368,000 (Rs 29.5 crore)<\/p>\n
Christie\u2019s auction, Sublime Shadows: South Asian Art from a Distinguished Collection, June 11, 2026<\/p>\n
\n- Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, Untitled, oil on canvas, 1971<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Estimate: GBP 1,200,000 \u2013 GBP 1,800,000 (Rs 14.9 crore \u2013 22.4 crore)<\/p>\n
Realised: GBP 2,246,000 (Rs 27.9 crore)<\/p>\n
Christie\u2019s auction, Sublime Shadows: South Asian Art from a Distinguished Collection, June 11, 2026<\/p>\n
\n- A monumental highly important brass astrolabe commissioned for Aqa Afzal, made by Qaim Muhammad and Muhammad Muqim, India, dated Rabi\u2019 al-Awwal 1021 AH\/May 1612 AD<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Estimate: GBP 1,500,000 \u2013 GBP 2,500,000 (Rs 18.7 crore \u2013 31.2 crore)<\/p>\n
Realised: GBP 2,042,000 (Rs 25.4 crore)<\/p>\n
Sotheby\u2019s Arts of the Islamic World & India auction, April 29, 2026<\/p>\n
\n- Ganesh Pyne, Encounter in the Twilight Zone, tempera on canvas, 1974<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Estimate: USD 250,000 \u2013 USD 350,000 (Rs 2.35 crore \u2013 3.3 crore)<\/p>\n
Realised: USD 2,515,000 (Rs 23.7 crore)<\/p>\n
Christie\u2019s South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art, March 25, 2026<\/p>\n
As is evident, Ganesh Pyne\u2019s works have become the top pick for collectors of Indian art. It would be worthwhile to know a little more about Ganesh Pyne, especially important for those interested in the arts but are new converts.<\/p>\n
Ganesh Pyne was born in Calcutta in 1937, a highly significant time as India was in the throes of freedom struggle which was spiralling towards its logical conclusion. Undoubtedly, the general experiences of life in such times\u2014coupled with the hardships unleashed on the family with the early death of his father\u2014 shaped his artistic vocabulary for all times to come. His characteristic style, often termed as poetic surrealism, was also greatly inspired by Bengal folk mythology which he learnt about through his grandmother\u2019s stories. He was also an admirer of the works of Abanindranath Tagore, the pioneer of the revivalist Bengal School of modern Indian art. The translucent effect of Pyne\u2019s earlier paintings can be attributed to his admiration of Tagore\u2019s art.<\/p>\n
He was once described by MF Husain as the best painter in the country. Pyne had a rich career with his pathbreaking, modernist works showing great depth and layers right from the start. He had trained as a draughtsman and animator at Mandar Studios in Calcutta, run by filmmaker Mandar Mullick, who brought in trainers from Disney Studios. This experience helped Pyne achieve distortion and exaggeration of facial features in his later works. His works achieved tremendous acclaim in national and international art circles during his lifetime and it\u2019s fitting that his works are now reaching the top of the art market pyramid resoundingly.<\/p>\n[vc_single_image image=”2609″ img_size=”medium” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Even after his passing as during his lifetime, M. F. Husain remains India\u2019s most well-known artist. It was on June 9, 2011, that Husain passed away at the age of 97 in London, in exile, having been chastised out of India as a result of the controversy arising out of his contentious paintings of Hindu goddesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[54,55,56,57,53],"class_list":["post-2608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-market","tag-mfhusain","tag-modernindianart","tag-archanakhareghose","tag-indianart","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theartsgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theartsgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theartsgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theartsgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theartsgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2608"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.theartsgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2613,"href":"https:\/\/www.theartsgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608\/revisions\/2613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theartsgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theartsgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theartsgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theartsgazette.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}