One of the most renowned oil paintings, Bindu by S.H. Raza, auctioned for $1,020,000 (₹ 8.67 crores) on June 19, 2025 at the Summer Online Auction brokered by Saffront Art.
Restricted in a private space in an important international private collection for so long, the 200 x 100 cm composition was last exhibited in Gallery Adriano Ribolzi, Monaco from November 17, 2010, to January 15, 2011.
After almost a day of bidding, the mark of $1 Million was attained, which further shows the sluggish art market globally. Compared to Pundole’s auction in Mumbai in 2023, where S.H. Raza’s work “Gestation” sold for $6.27 million, this year’s auction for the artist showed tumultuous times for art sales, unless hyped previously and priced rightly.
The Bindu is an artwork that comes from the mature period of the artist’s career. Divided horizontally into two halves, Raza’s iconic bindu is a symbol of primordial seed, which is a source of life-giving energy in the cosmos that has power to create and destroy. In the lower panel of the work, a large bindu emerges from a dark ground, simultaneously generating energy and movement while anchoring the canvas.
Raza explained the process of bindu in his composition,
“This process is akin to germination. The obscure black space is charged with latent forces aspiring to fulfillment. Like the universal order of the ‘earth – seed’ relationship, the original form of the Bindu emerges and unfolds itself in the black space.” (Artist quoted in Sen, p. 107)
When inspected closely, the bindu shows its direction outwards from the centre of the painting as if pulsates with energy to evoke the concept of the primordial sound that runs the universe.
Since the composition has an emotional and spiritual significance, the poet and writer Ashok Vajpeyi remarked on his canvas,
“He invariably evokes a state of mind, an aspect. He makes silence and depth speak, perhaps whisper gently.”
He continued,
“The sacred has no figure, only shape and colours […] These works are luminous, they are drenched in grace and they make us see what we may otherwise never come across: the painted surface as a constructed space of prayer, an illuminating residence of the possibly sacred.”
With an exceptional meaning and significance of the work in the Modern Indian Art, though Bindu hit the mark of $1 Million, it certainly costs more than it. The melancholy behind this low price may result from a lack of value creation for both the artist and the art, which is something Western auction houses have been doing prior to their sales. Furthermore, it is the government’s duty to actively revive and promote the old culture. However, with most museums remaining empty, it is clear that significant efforts must be made to address this issue effectively. Lastly, a better clientele could have pushed the higher estimate, instead of closely passing the lower estimate.
Featured Image: SH Raza in his studio, Image Courtesy of the Artist; via: Saffron Art.
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