It is not unclassified information that Indian laborers struggle for finances and opportunities even though they possess the most remarkable skills. As soon as I realized that this trend had passed with the course of developments in the country, AstaGuru’s auction emerged and decisively shattered expectations by selling major artists’ paintings at shockingly low prices. While the West has set the price of a banana at $6.2 million, AstaGuru sold a portrait by Jamini Roy for only 7 lakh rupees (USD 8078). It seems as if the auction house is pricing artworks based on necessity rather than luxury.
AstaGuru’s Dimension Defined was an exhibition that took place between February 20 – 22, comprising paintings of several distinguished artists like Amrita Shergil, Jamini Roy, MF Hussain, MV Dhurandhar, Satish Gujral, and more. An auction house with such extraordinary artists must have the potential to achieve remarkable sales through strategic outreach and marketing efforts. Regrettably, it seems that AstaGuru failed to follow substantial steps in this regard, further limiting the true potential of the auction.
The auction house identifies itself as ‘India’s Premier Online Auction House, seamlessly blends sophistication with expertise, defining its identity through a profound commitment to artistic preservation.’ But, it looks like the only commitment they follow is to make culture more accessible through lower prices. Further, it boasts about itself, saying, ‘AstaGuru has evolved into the preferred destination for original artworks and collectibles, achieving world record prices for revered artists like A. Ramachandran, Jeram Patel, António Xavier Trindade, M F Husain, and more.’ Contrary to their past sales, the authorities were not rigid enough to stage MF Husain in such a way that their list of record prices gets longer; MF Husain’s Untitled sold at ₹ 22,76,492. If I were to take an instance from real life, these paintings can not be classified as a ‘luxurious’ asset, as long as AstaGuru stupidifies the art market of India. Further, it is significant to note how Indian artists, the ones who are alive, are doing far better in Western markets and are bargained for after death in their own land.
It is notable that even after the controversy of MF Husain at the DAG Museum where the Delhi Court ordered the seizure of some paintings of the artist, the auction house was not able to sell the artist’s works at better prices. It was like there was good negative marketing, a particular stage, and an artist, but the organizers were too inadequate to host the event properly. Another artwork, Woman with Sitar by the artist was sold at the price of ₹ 2.82 Crores.
Artists such as Amrita Shergil and Zarina Hashmi, whose acclaim transcended the borders of India, were surprisingly unable to command higher prices for their remarkable works. Amrita’s sketches and Zarina’s Flying Form didn’t even hit the mark of 1 Crore, which is also surprisingly the lowest price. If AstaGuru continues to follow in these footsteps, the Indian art market is doomed to be a flue.
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