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lot 27

lot 27

Ram Kumar

Untitled

oil on canvas
36 x 48 in. (91.5 x 122 cm.)
painted in 2002

Winning Bid: $ 55,000

Estimate: US$ 50,000 - 70,000

Lot Closed

Lot Details

Signed, dated and inscribed 'Ram Kumar / 2002 / 36 x 48' (on the reverse)

PROVENANCE
Saffronart / Lot 9 / Auction May 2006 / 10-11 May 2006
Bodhi Art Gallery, Singapore

"Like the river, Kumar's mind meanders through nature absorbing all its beautiful features from the clear blue skies to the mountains. However Kumar's affinity to the mountains began very early in his life. His attractions to the mountains continued when he encountered Kumaon, Ladakh and Andretta - havens he frequently retreated to, to paint. He seems to enjoy a certain peace and inner security every time he recalls his childhood memories of the mountains confirming that artworks are about space, childhood and love. At the same time his quest for spirituality surfaced. Kumar's spiritual journey began with Varanasi followed by Machu Picchu with its ancient ruins and finally ended in Ladakh with its mountains and monasteries." [...] (Uma Prakash, Ram Kumar: Selected Works 1950-2010, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, 2010, pg. 11-12)

Ram Kumar

(1924 - 2018)
Born in Simla in 1924, Ram Kumar studied art while working on a Master’s degree in Economics from St. Stephens College, New Delhi. In 1949 he left for Paris to study painting under Andre Lhote and in 1950 he joined Atelier Fernand Leger, returning to India three years later. In 1970 he received the J. D. Rockefeller III Fund Fellowship. Since 1949, Ram Kumar has exhibited regularly in India and internationally. Some of his solo shows include those at Aicon Gallery, New York, in 2013; Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai in 2008; Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi in 2012, 2010-11, 09, 08, 06, 05, 03, 01, 00, 1993 and 92; Aicon Gallery, New York in 2013 and 2007, Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai in 2005, 1999, 92, 90, 86, 84, 83, 78, 76, 73 and 71; Arks Gallery, London in 1997; and Grosvenor Gallery, London in 1966. In 2002, Saffronart and Pundole Art Gallery organized a show of his work in Mumbai, New Delhi, San Francisco and New York. Other retrospectives of his work have been held at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi in 1994 and 1993; Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai in 1993; and the Birla Museum, Kolkata in 1980. In 1972 the Government of India awarded him with the Padma Shri, one of its highest Civilian honors. The Madhya Pradesh State Government awarded him with the Kalidas Samman in 1985, and for his writing, he received the Uttar Pradesh State Government award in 1975. Ram Kumar lived and worked in New Delhi, till he passed away in April 2018.