Christie’s London is to host a celebration of South Asian Modern & Contemporary Art from 7 -11 June 2008 with a special exhibition of works from the private art collection of Indian industrialist Anil Ambani and his wife Tina Ambani. On public view for the first time, from Saturday 7 June to Tuesday 10 June, this collection of 32 works showcases a range of artists, from masters of the progressive artists group era such as Maqbool Fida Husain, Tyeb Mehta and Syed Haider Raza, through to leading names in contemporary art including Atul Dodiya, Jitish Kallat, T.V. Santhosh and Riyas Komu.

Coinciding with this exhibition, 12 works will be offered from The Harmony Art Foundation as part of Christie’s London sale of South Asian Modern & Contemporary Art on Wednesday 11 June. The 12 works, led by Maqbool Fida Hussain’s Untitled (estimate: £12,000-18,000), Francis Newton Souza’s Untitled, 1956 (estimate: £15,000-20,000), H.G. Arunkumar’s playful sculptures Toys: Aeroplane- Car-Sprung Ball (estimate: £15,000- 20,000) and Navjot Altaf’s powerful sculpture December 15th, 2000 (estimate: £18,000-20,000), are being auctioned. The proceeds will go to the future activities of the Foundation. These works are hoped to fetch in excess of £100,000.

Elsewhere in Christie’s South Asian Modern & Contemporary Art sale on Wednesday 11 June 2008, a further 100 works from the leading 20th and 21st century artists from South Asia, including artists from India and Pakistan will be offered. Highlights include Francis Newton Souza’s Birth, 1955 (estimate: £600,000- 800,000) and Tyeb Mehta’s Untitled (Figure on Rickshaw), 1984 (estimate: £300,000-500,000) which are museum quality masterpieces and timeless examples of 20th century classic Modern styles, as well as key contemporary works such as Subodh Gupta’s Untitled, 2007 (estimate: £300,000-500,000). The sale as a whole is expected to realise in excess of £3.7 million.

THE PRIVATE ART COLLECTION OF TINA AND ANIL AMBANI

The definitive aesthetic vision and deeprooted philanthropy of Anil Ambani, who is arguably corporate India’s most recognized and internationally acclaimed businessman and his wife Tina Ambani, a successful actor in Bollywood speakeasy for the Hindi film industry prior to her marriage, have combined to form this superlative art collection that represents their support and commitment to art practice in India today.

Tina and Anil Ambani: “This collection has evolved naturally from a desire to seek beauty and creativity in myriad forms and promote emerging talent in India. It gives us both enormous personal pleasure and pride to share this collection with art cognoscenti and connoisseurs. We hope this evokes a greater interest in Indian art - its diversity and virtuosity.”

Works by masters of the Progressive Artist Group include M.F. Husain’s Untitled, 1970 and rare work Prophet, 1954, Tyeb Mehta’s extraordinary graphic image Bull on Rickshaw, 1999, which exemplifies Mehta’s post-cubist style - employing minimal lines and opaque masses of colour to create single dominating forms, illustrated left. The trussed bull on its way to slaughter is one of the few recurring motifs in the artist’s oeuvre. In this case the bull taken for slaughter precariously balanced on its mount serves as a metaphor for man’s violent encounter with his own environment which Mehta has witnessed during Partition riots on the streets and communal violence.

Key works by S.H. Raza are also featured, including his enigmatic Surya, 1974, Domain and the hypnotic work Bindu, 1998. This work examines the ‘beej’ or cosmos that reverberates as ‘naad’ sound, signifying wholeness and continuity. In the mid-1970s, Raza shifted from an energetic expressionist abstraction to symbols derived from Indian geometric abstraction. In his painterly style however, Raza transcends the Indian yantra to gain a more universal expression.

From the leading names in contemporary art paintings include Atul Dodiya’s hauntingly beautiful Man Walking, 1996 and Bapu Planting, 1999, as well as Jitish Kallat’s thought provoking diptych Aren’t We All Getting Spotted, 2002, T.V. Santhosh’s The Milking Machine, 2003 and Riyas Komu’s Systematic Citizen 9 to 9, illustrated right. This is a rare opportunity to gain insight into the very personal artistic passion, finely discerning eye and highly developed tastes of its owners who are one of Indias’ most powerful and important couples.

ABOUT THE HARMONY ART FOUNDATION

In 1995, well before the surge of global interest in modern and contemporary Indian art, Tina Ambani created Harmony Art Foundation to provide a non-profit platform for emerging artists in the subcontinent and build bridges of understanding with other cultures and artistic perspectives. Many of today's prominent artists started their careers at Harmony, including Jitish Kallat, Anju Dodiya and Atul Dodiya. In support of this endeavour, on 11 June Harmony Foundation will be offering 12 works for sale at Christie's. The proceeds will be used to further the rganisation's activities.

Mrs Tina Ambani, Founder and Patron of Harmony Art Foundation: "I am truly passionate about the Harmony Art Foundation; it aims to empower artists and sculptors in India by creating infrastructure for them to blossom, furthering exchange and dialogue through international collaboration; giving awards and holding residencies that promote Indian and international artists and sculptors; and offering private support for non-mainstream art forms like sculpture, environmental and video installation. Over time, the foundation wishes to create a keener sense of knowledge and sensitivity about the rich spectrum of contemporary art practices in the country. Going forward, the foundation aims to hold more events and workshops and work with museums and private collectors, in India and across the world."

Tina Ambani has combined her own artistic energies with sponsorship from the Reliance ADA Group, channelling resources towards the Harmony Art Foundation, which organises annual non-profit selling exhibitions and the Harmony Art Show, India's largest annual private contemporary art show. Over the past 13 years, the show has attracted over half-a-million people and provided a platform to a wide range of artists from all over India who are at different points in their careers; it has nurtured emerging talent, and made the acquisition of art a simpler, linear process by creating an accessible environment where the artist and collector - amateur or seasoned - can find each other. In recent years, the Harmony Art show has sought to emphasise the link between art and wider society by fostering a sense of responsibility and commitment towards the underprivileged. The Foundation is associated with social welfare organisations that exhibit the creative talents of underprivileged children at its shows.

Exhibition of The Private Art Collection Tina and Anil Ambani:
Christie's South Kensington, 85 Old Brompton Road, SW7 3LD:
Saturday 7 June - Tuesday 10 June 2008

Auction of South Asian Modern & Contemporary Art
Christie's South Kensington, 85 Old Brompton Road, SW7 3LD
Wednesday 11 June 2008 at 2.00pm