Saffronart- Auction House Conducts Online Art Auction for COVID-19 Aid

BY SIDDHI JAIN

Mumbai-based auction house, Saffronart, is all set to conduct a 24-hour online art auction to funds to contribute to COVID-19 relief efforts.

The no-reserve art auction will feature 52 works of modern and contemporary South Asian art, donated by collectors, gallerists and artists to support the cause. It will take place on the auctioneer's website on April 29-30 .

As per Saffronart, the proceeds from the sale will be donated to three non-profit grassroots organisations – Goonj, Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) and Stree Mukti Sanghatana (SMS) – that have set up initiatives to support and rehabilitate the most vulnerable communities affected by the health crisis.

The sale will be led by a 2018 installation titled 'A Swim Suit for You' by foremost Bangladeshi contemporary artist Tayeba Begum Lipi, estimated to fetch Rs. 7-9 lakh. Krishen Khanna's charcoal work 'Who Has Touched Me' and an untitled painting by Thota Vaikuntam from 2019 are estimated at Rs 6-8 lakhs each.

Other top artists featured in the auction include modern masters such as Ram Kumar, F N Souza and M F Husain, and leading contemporary artists including Arpita Singh and Shilpa Gupta.

"In today's visually based, image-laden world, art possesses the immediate power to mobilise and galvanize people to make a difference and has the capacity to fuel our collective empathy and remind us that we are all in this together. So why not use art to inspire people to come together and help our neighbours?

"Here in India, as the government and the healthcare system continue to battle the spread of the deadly virus, a vast section of those living on the margin, the daily wage labourers and the poor are facing the irreparable loss of homes and livelihoods in this uncertain future. The immediacy of their need, however, is simple survival through access to food, hygeine and protective gear," Saffronart co-founders Minal and Dinesh Vazirani said in a message.

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They added: "As we do our bit to support organisations doing this important work, we hope to see the community rally for the cause and help those most affected by the crisis to rebuild their lives".

The auction house has previously conducted a Kerala flood relief fundraiser auction in August 2018 which raised an amount of Rs 36 lakh, among other fundraisers.(IANS)