The Story Teller is widely considered one of Amrita Sher-Gil's most honest and expressive compositions. Photo: Saffronart
The Story Teller is widely considered one of Amrita Sher-Gil's most honest and expressive compositions. Photo: Saffronart
The Story Teller is widely considered one of Amrita Sher-Gil's most honest and expressive compositions. Photo: Saffronart
The Story Teller is widely considered one of Amrita Sher-Gil's most honest and expressive compositions. Photo: Saffronart

The Story Teller: A closer look at Amrita Sher-Gil's record-breaking $7.45m painting


  • English
  • Arabic

This week, Indian artist Amrita Sher-Gil's painting The Story Teller fetched a staggering $7.45 million at auction in New Delhi, becoming the most expensive piece of Indian art sold under the hammer.

Bought by an undisclosed buyer on September 16 at Saffronart auction house's Evening Sale: Modern Art, the 23in x 29in oil on canvas was among a clutch of more than 70 pieces that also featured MF Husain, VS Gaitonde, Jamini Roy and FS Souza.

Touted to be among the 12 works selected by Sher-Gil herself as her most important, The Story Teller is widely considered one of the artist's most honest and expressive compositions. The painting was first shown in November 1937 during her popular solo exhibition at Faletti's Hotel in Lahore.

Over a short career of a decade, Sher-Gil produced about 200 paintings. Photo: Facebook
Over a short career of a decade, Sher-Gil produced about 200 paintings. Photo: Facebook

It explores a scene from domestic life, with five women huddled together in a rural setting doing everyday tasks with cows milling around. It bears the quintessential Sher-Gil imprimatur – art spotlighting a feudal-feminine world. Sher-Gil’s other well-known portraits of women include Three Girls, Women on the Charpai, Hill Women and Young Girls.

"We are delighted to have set multiple artist records at our Evening Sale in New Delhi this September. Most significantly, the record price achieved by Amrita Sher-Gil's The Story Teller is an important milestone in the Indian art market and a testament to the artist's immense skill and enduring legacy as one of India's art treasures," said Dinesh Vazirani, chief executive of Saffronart.

Indian artist Subodh Gupta tells The National: "The Story Teller is one of Amrita Sher-Gil's most significant works. It portrays women, a common theme in her art, reflecting her indomitable spirit and dedication to her craft which has left an indelible mark on Indian art history. This makes her a cherished national treasure, a symbol of empowerment and someone whose work ushered in profound social change.”

Sher-Gil's Group of Three Girls. Photo: National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
Sher-Gil's Group of Three Girls. Photo: National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

Sher-Gil’s previous record was for The Ladies’ Enclosure, which sold at Saffronart in July 2021 for $5.14 million, including the premium. Known as the Indian Frida Kahlo, the artist is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest avant-garde women painters of the 20th century. She melded architecture and people to portray scenes of rural domesticity through a unique artistic vocabulary.

Sher-Gil was born in 1913 in Budapest, Hungary, to a Sikh aristocrat and scholar of Sanskrit and Persian languages, Umrao Singh Sher-Gil Majithia, and a Hungarian-Jewish opera singer Marie Antoinette Gottesmann. The erudite and creative atmosphere at home shaped Sher-Gil’s personality. She became non-conformist and rebellious, and was even expelled from her convent school.

In 1929, at the age of 16, she moved to Paris to study art at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, her work being constantly enriched by early exposure to the impressionism of Paul Cezanne and Paul Gauguin in the French capital.

Tragically, she died when she was just 28 in 1941. In 1976, the Archaeological Survey of India recognised her as one of India's nine National Art Treasure artists, bestowing on her a special `rarity value’ internationally, meaning her works in India cannot leave the country.

Sher-Gil pioneered a greater emphasis of women as subjects and muses of great works. Photo: Facebook
Sher-Gil pioneered a greater emphasis of women as subjects and muses of great works. Photo: Facebook

Indian sculptor Neeraj Gupta calls Sher-Gil one of the greatest avant-garde artists of the early 20th century. “Her work defied time and society as reflected in her early portraits and nudes that are still considered among the best in contemporary Europe. This is reflected in The Story Teller as well which is an honest and empathetic portrayal much like the artist herself," he says.

As a pathbreaker and a trailblazer, Gupta adds, Sher-Gil altered the narrative of Indian art, her feminism being a remarkable trait to have in the 1930s when women were a neglected demographic, typically relegated to the background in all social settings. “Sher-Gil chose to put her women front and centre, deliberately showing them engaged in domestic chores to reinforce that such work needs to be celebrated and not derided,” explains multimedia artist Subodh Gupta.

Gupta says Sher-Gil’s prolificity reflects her commitment to art. “Everything about her work was unique, be it her use of colour, pigment, the subjects she chose or her treatment of them. And despite the commonality of her subject matter, her artwork provides a strong visual impact, and evokes deep emotional responses, making one want to view her pieces again and again, the hallmark of a great artist.”

Sher-Gil Bride's Toilet. Photo: National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi
Sher-Gil Bride's Toilet. Photo: National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

Gupta adds that Sher-Gil kickstarted the movement that insisted that women mattered and were worthy muses for artists. “It takes rare courage to do this in a patriarchal era characterised by deeply entrenched mindsets, a quality that defined her and made her such a great artist.”

Over a short career of a decade, Sher-Gil was produced about 200 paintings, her early works mostly dwelling upon vibrant illustrations of Hungarian fairytales in watercolour and the later ones about domestic life in India. “I can only paint in India. Europe belongs to Picasso, Matisse, Braque ... India belongs only to me,“ Sher-Gil famously declared.

Even so, her work reflects strong international influences, including that of Paul Gauguin, a controversial French artist who produced Tahitian nudes and paintings. Sher-Gil was also heavily influenced by French and Turkish elements, as also Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma whose influence is unmistakable in some of her later works.

According to Sunny Chandiramani, senior vice president of client relations at AstaGuru Auction House, Sher-Gil's significance in the history of Indian art is profound and enduring. “Her legacy transcends mere artistic prowess; it is a testament to her role as a trailblazer and an icon of inspiration for women in the field of art. Through her remarkable fusion of western techniques and Indian subjects, her works had a universal appeal bridging the gap between traditional and modern art.”

Keane on …

Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”

Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Country-size land deals

US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:

Louisiana Purchase

If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.

Florida Purchase Treaty

The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty. 

Alaska purchase

America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of  Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".

The Philippines

At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million. 

US Virgin Islands

It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.

Gwadar

The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees. 

Jebel Ali Dragons 26 Bahrain 23

Dragons
Tries: Hayes, Richards, Cooper
Cons: Love
Pens: Love 3

Bahrain
Tries: Kenny, Crombie, Tantoh
Cons: Phillips
Pens: Phillips 2

Walls

Louis Tomlinson

3 out of 5 stars

(Syco Music/Arista Records)

Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Score

Third Test, Day 2

New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)

Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings

Indian origin executives leading top technology firms

Sundar Pichai

Chief executive, Google and Alphabet

Satya Nadella

Chief executive, Microsoft

Ajaypal Singh Banga

President and chief executive, Mastercard

Shantanu Narayen

Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe

Indra Nooyi  

Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo

 

 

Updated: September 22, 2023, 12:45 PM`