A tailored intimacy
On October 24, 2017, Bhupen Khakhar hit the headlines when his painting De-Luxe Tailors (1972/oil on canvas/42 by 33 inch) set a new auction record. The painting, which came with a pre-sale estimate of £2,50,000-3,50,000 (Rs 2-3 crore), was sold for £1.1 million (Rs 9.5 crore) at Sothebys in London, breaking his previous record of £4,34,500 for Night (1996), auctioned in 2014.
De-Luxe Tailors was part of the Sir Howard Hodgkins personal collection which was sold in the much-awaited auction. It was gifted by Khakhar to Hodgkin sometime after it was painted in 1972. Evidently, Hodgkin, one of the pre-eminent contemporary British artists, treasured the painting deeply. He hung it in his home in Wiltshire where Khakhar had stayed as a guest in the 1970s; later it travelled to Hodgkins flat in London.
The two artists close friendship was legendary; Hodgkin often hosted Khakhar in the UK and helped him build relationships in the art world. Khakhar died on August 8, 2003, in Baroda, of prostate cancer, aged 69. Hodgkin passed away in London on March 9, 2017, aged 84, just months before the Sothebys auction.
A keen observer
Khakhar, the chartered accountant-turned-painter, developed a unique style …read more
