auction of treasures from bhabha estate to earn ncpa big bucks

4/23/13 Auction of treasures from Bhabha estate to earn NCPA big bucks

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Publication: Mumbai Mirror ;Date: Aug 19, 2012;Section: Front Page;Page: 1

Auction of treasures from Bhabha estate to earn NCPA bigbucks

Mumbai’s cultural arts centre that Dr Jamshed Bhabha helpedfound stands to gain Rs 1.4 crore according to (very)conservative estimates

Dhamini.Ratnam @timesgroup.com

An auction of antiques and collectibles from the estate of philanthropist Dr Jamshed Jehangir Bhabha and hisbrother, nuclear physicist Homi Bhabha, is set to raise a neat sum for the National Centre for the Performing Arts.

While according to conservative estimates the August 27-28 estate auction could raise Rs 1.38 crore, experts saythe treasure is worth a lot more.

Several pieces, including antique sculptures dating back to the 7th century, Mughal miniature paintings, anddecorative art like Royal Worcester vases and English porcelain will be put on sale in the auction being organised byPundole's.

The proceeds of the sale will go to NCPA, according to the terms of the will left behind by Dr Jamshed JehangirBhabha, who co-founded the performing arts entre with industrialist JRD Tata in 1969. Citing previous auctions fromthe estate, art market experts confirmed that the estimate of Rs 1.38 crore is conservative and is based on the lowerend of the estimates provided by the auction house.

The first sale from the estate occurred in April 2011, where 20 paintings, including works of M F Husain and JaminiRoy, fetched nearly Rs 10 crore, as against a lower estimate of Rs 4 crore.

The next sale occurred in October 2011, where the four-storeyed mansion where Dr Bhabha lived with his parents,wife and brother Homi, on Malabar Hill was thrown open to the public. The sale included a range of personalcollectibles, silverware, coins, carpets, furniture and modern art works, and gathered Rs 16 crore for the NCPA, asagainst the expected Rs 5 crore.

Up on offer at the auction will be a 13th century South Indian bronze statue of Saint Sambandar that used to sit onDr Homi Bhabha’s desk for years. It is estimated to be worth between Rs 40 and 60 lakh. Sandstone sculptures fromthe 10th century, a post-Gupta period Buddha head, and two 2nd-3rd century Gandharan stucco sculptures of aBuddha head and an attendant figure, will also go on sale.

Other works include an early Impressionist landscape by Jamini Roy estimated between Rs 6 and 8 lakh and anNS Bendre gouache work done for the TISCO calendar in 1949. Furniture will include an Art Deco teak desk with ballfeet, typical of the time, a Belgian Bevelled glass and wood folding screen, and an early set of Lalique glassware.

Dr Bhabha bequeathed his entire estate to the NCPA when he passed away in May 2007. He followed a longtradition of Parsi philanthropists who donated large sums of money to build schools, higher education institutes, andhospitals.



For instance, Jamsetji Tata launched the JN Tata Endowment Scheme for higher education in 1892, whichsupported administrators, scientists, doctors, lawyers and engineers. By 1924, over a third of Indian officials in theIndian Civil Service were Tata scholars.

His son Sir Dorabji Tata set up a trust that is best known for promoting the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, theTata Memorial Centre for Cancer Research and Treatment and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney, a 19th century industrialist built colleges, hospitals, asylums and even gavedonations to the Catholic and the Presbyterian missions in India.

The Godrej family too, set up trusts, best known for building the Godrej Memorial Hospital and supporting theHeroes Project, an AIDS awareness programme.

Independent art consultant and former head of Christies India, Mallika Advani, who will be the auctioneer for theBhabha estate auction, said all the antiquities have been registered with the Archeological Survey of India and arenon-exportable.

According to Pundole art gallery owner Dadiba Pundole, this is probably the last big haul of collectibles from theBhabha house.

“A few pieces may crop up in later auctions, but the bulk of the estate has already been offered at auction,” Advaniadded.

Pundole said Dr Bhabha was methodical in documenting his collections. “He was unique in his collectingphilosophy. He collected classical Indian sculptures with the same zeal he applied to selecting an egg coddler for hismorning breakfast. As we went through the contents of the house and opened yet another cupboard, it was amazingto see how well he documented his purchases, often going into great detail on where, why and for how much theywere bought for,” said Pundole, adding he can’t escape a feeling of nostalgia as he prepares for the auction.

“As an auction house, you need to dissociate yourself with the sentiment. While the business side of me isgleeful, there is a sense of sadness, too,” said Pundole, who spent the last four months selecting, cleaning,photographing and cataloguing collectibles in the mansion, accompanied by wife Khorshed, and art specialistsAdvani, Rob Dean and Mehemosh Heeramaneck.

“We discovered a room between the third floor and the terrace. We ended up with three new display cabinets, andunusual plaster of Paris light fittings that are seen all through Homi Bhabha’s section of the house,” said Advani.

Dwijendra Bejoy Biswas, joint executive director of the NCPA and executor of Bhabha’s will, was entrusted withthe task of letting the gallerists into the mansion.

“Mr Biswas would arrive with a bagful of keys and seal each door after we would leave a room,” said Pundole.“Every action of ours, even if we picked up a saucer to place it elsewhere, was photographed on his orders.”

Silverware, ceramics and paintings, including a Manjit Bawa, from other properties, including that of the formereditor of the Times of India, the late Noshir Nanporia, will form part of the auction.

NCPA chairman Khushroo Suntook believes the fresh infusion of funds will help take the performing arts

centre to newer heights.

The NCPA is a public

charitable trust and raises money through membership, box office collections, venue rentals, and donations. “Ourvarious sources of

income are definitely not enough to



help us manage our daily operations or scale them up. The proceeds from Dr Bhabha’s estate auction will enable usto achieve our mission of promoting and preserving the performing arts.”

Yet, not all of the estate is for sale, said Suntook. “There are some items that we will not auction and intend tobuild a suitable space within the NCPA to feature them,” he revealed.

Dadiba Pundole holds up a painting by NS Bendre, titled Forest and Waterfallfrom the estate of the late Dr Jamshed JBhabha

BUDDHA HEAD Stucco Gandhara, 2nd-3rd century 60-80 THOUSAND (est.)



SURYA Sandstone, Central India, c. 12th century 3-5 LAKH (est.)



SAINT SAMBANDAR Bronze, Southern India, c. 13th century 40-60 LAKH (est.)



NCPA Founder Dr Jamshed Bhabha with Jawaharlal Nehru. The photograph will be displayed at the Piramal ArtGallery in an exhibition titled 80 Masters of Photography starting today on occasion of World Photography Day

auction of treasures from bhabha estate to earn ncpa big bucks

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