Sholay Posters Take Centre Stage as deRivaz & Ives Auctions India’s Cultural Treasures

Fifty years after Jai, Veeru and Gabbar first thundered across the big screen, Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay is back in the spotlight — this time at the auction block. In a landmark online auction on 22–23 August, deRivaz & Ives will offer global fans the chance to own two rare Sholay posters, including a colossal six-sheet re-release design by C. Mohan, as part of its first-of-its-kind sale combining vintage advertisements, fine arts, rare books, and cinema publicity material.

The film memorabilia section doesn’t stop at Sholay. Original posters, lobby cards, and stills from classics like Mahal (1949), Sangram (1951), Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Neel Kamal (1968), and Mera Naam Joker (1970) capture the magic of Indian cinema’s golden decades. For cinephiles, these are more than collectibles — they are cultural time capsules of the stories that shaped a nation.

But cinema is just one dimension of this richly curated sale. The Modern Indian Fine Arts section (Lots 36–64) showcases masterpieces by giants such as Ganesh Pyne, M.F. Husain, Jamini Roy, H.A. Gade, and K.H. Ara. Highlights include Pyne’s Portrait of Rabindranath Tagore (c.1961), Husain’s Untitled oil (1976–77), and Roy’s Flight into Egypt, a designated National Art Treasure. From Souza’s landscapes to Piraji Sagara’s wooden sculpture, the catalogue captures the artistic ferment of post-Independence India.

The advertising and posters section (Lots 1–35) is equally compelling, charting India’s visual history with a late-19th-century Bradford Dyers’ Association trade poster, a rare Erasmic “Himalaya Bouquet” perfume panel (1920s–30s), and glamorous Lux Soap Filmfare spreads featuring stars from Suraiya to Asha Parekh. Rare Air-India travel posters and political material such as the “Quit Goa!” poster (1961) complete the section, revealing how images once sold not just products, but dreams and ideologies.

Collectors of literature will find treasures too — from Rabindranath Tagore’s The Parrot’s Training and Other Stories (1944) to Nicholas Roerich’s Himalaya – A Monograph (1926) and Abdur Rahman Chughtai’s Poet of the East and Chughtai (1962). These books, alongside works by Sarojini Naidu and Toru Dutt, underscore the auction house’s reach across art, ideas, and culture.

Absentee bidding opens 19 August, followed by the live online auction on 22–23 August, with lots closing sequentially between 6:00 and 8:15 pm IST on the final day. Private previews will be held in New Delhi and Mumbai from 18–22 August (by appointment).

With its sweeping range — from the most celebrated film of Indian history to rare canvases, advertisements, and books — this auction is both marketplace and museum, a place where nostalgia meets scholarship, and where owning a piece of history becomes possible.

For the full catalogue, registration details, and Terms & Conditions, visit: https://derivaz-ives.com

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