Lot 79: ATUL DODIYA

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE DUTCH COLLECTION B. 1959 BINDU (AFTER RAZA) Inscribed in Devanagari upper right, 'JEUNE FILLE' centre middle, 'FRANCiS PiCABiA 1920' lower right and further signed, dated and inscribed 'ATUL DODIYA / 'BINDU (AFTER RAZA)' / 2006 / 72" X 48" / ENAMEL PAINT, SYNTHETIC VARNISH AND / ACRYLIC EPOXY ON LAMINATE / 'Atul' on reverse Enamel paint, synthetic varnish and acrylic epoxy on laminate 180.9 by 120.9 cm. (72 by 48 in.)

Fabrice Bousteau, Made by Indians, Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, 2007, illustration p. 190-91

Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi

Through his work Dodiya has developed a distinctive Post-modernist aesthetic that has gone on to influence contemporary art practices in India. His early canvases were focused on realism and the subjects were usually autobiographical. In his post 90s works, Dodiya successfully juxtaposed imagery from politics and history, as well as high and low culture. He then started to move towards painted collages, that were made up of a combination of literary, political and art-historical references. In this work, Dodiya makes reference to not only one of the masters of modern Indian art, Sayed Haider Raza, but also the French Surrealist and Dadaist artist Francis Picabia along with Bollywood actresses of the 60s and 70s. Dodiya came into contact with Picabia’s work whilst studying in Paris between 1991-1992, at the École des Beaux-Arts. On his return to India, the artist stated "When I came back from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1992, I thought that there was nothing to look forward to. The European masters had already explored the art of painting in so many exceptional ways. Was there anything left for me to do? What difference could I make? Arun Kolatkar's and Sitanshu Yashaschandra's poetry gave me solace. And confidence. I realized that I should draw from my past which is my own - it is different from anybody else's." (ART India Magazine, June 2011, Vol. XVI, Issue I). Although Dodiya has successfully established a continued discourse within the international contemporary art world, his target audience is very much the everyday man on the streets of Mumbai. "My viewers are the people from my city - from Mumbai, from Ghatkopar." (ibid.)