Christie’s first auction in India scheduled for December 19

Works from the personal collection of the late Kekoo and Khorshed Gandhy, Mumbai-based gallerists and among the most significant figures in the development of India’s modern art scene, will be the centrepiece of Christie’s first auction in India, due to take place at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai on Thursday December 19.

Artists represented from the Ghandys’ collection include VS Gaitonde, Ram Kumar, SH Raza, Tyep Mehta, MF Husain and Jamini Roy.

“Together Kekoo and Khorshed Gandhy, initially through their framing business and later on at Gallery Chemould, prepared the framework for young artists to thrive,” said Hugo Weihe, international director of Asian Art at Christie’s. “The value of their support and patronage to this group is reflected among the works of art in their collection – from the Husain family portrait to the view by Ram Kumar of the hills near their holiday. Each is a tribute to the friendships made and the central role they played in shaping the modern Indian art scene.”

Kekoo Gandhy (1920-2012) ran a highly successful frame company, Chemould, with his Belgian business partner from the premises in Princess Street, Mumbai. Alongside the core business he used the space to champion the works of the emerging artists of the modern art movement working in the city.

From the late 1940s Kekoo organised the Bombay Art Society Salon exhibition, held monthly, often at the Taj Mahal Palace, where the Christie’s sale will be held. In 1963, together with his wife Khorshed, he opened Gallery Chemould inside the Jehangir Art Gallery in South Bombay, where it is still holding exhibitions for emerging Indian artists today.