Himmat Shah

The current lot forms part of Himmat Shah's radical series of burnt paper collages. Shah was a member of Group 1890, and like his fellow comrades - such as Ambadas Khobragade (lots 4, 18 and 23), Jyoti Bhatt (lot 10) and Gulam Mohammed Sheikh - he was a pioneering figure in modern Indian art. These richly textural mixed media works, with their use of singed paper and gold accents, epitomize Shah's avant-garde leanings. He first exhibited such works in 1963 at the seminal Group 1890 exhibition, and he continued to produce them throughout the decade.