Art auction raises 42.5 lakh for Kerala's disaster relief fund

Mumbai : A sum of Rs 42.5 lakh was raised for relief work in flood-hit Kerala in a day-long online fundraiser auction by Mumbai-based art auction house Saffronart.

An official statement from Saffronart said the fund raised through the auction will be donated to the Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund.

The no-reserve online sale, having no buyer's premium, saw "Indians from around the world coming together to bid generously on the 32 featured artworks by leading Indian modern and contemporary artists", the statement said.

It was open to everyone from first-time bidders and serious collectors.

All the 32 lots on offer were sold in the auction, which was led by master painter Ram Kumar's 2007 untitled work, which sold for Rs 7 lakh.

Other sold artworks include Dhananjay Singh's "Untitled" (2011) and Thota Vaikuntam's "Untitled" (2017), which sold for Rs 5-6 lakh each.

"K.G. Subramanyan's Untitled was among the top 10 lots sold, along with works by Manjit Bawa, Riyas Komu, Sujata Bajaj and G R Iranna," the statement said.

In a previous statement, Saffronart's CEO Dinesh Vazirani had invited people to "open their hearts and give generously towards the cause".

The auction house had also said it has a long-standing relationship with Kerala, which is home to many of India's leading modern and contemporary artists.

Mentioning that they are feeling humbled by the sale response, Vazirani said the auction house is "grateful to have the opportunity to do their part to assist relief efforts in the face of this calamity".

The 24-hour online auction was held on storyltd.com and concluded on Thursday evening.