AstaGuru auction to feature letters by Tagore, Husain’s painting of Gandhi, Mother Teresa

A correspondence between Rabindranath Tagore and sociologist Dhurjati Prasad Mujerji, comprising 35 handwritten letters and 14 envelopes, will be among the rare items that will go under the hammer in AstaGuru’s ‘Collectors Choice’ online auction on June 26-27.

The National Art Treasure letters, which reveal Tagore in creative transition—from poet and public figure to visual artist and private seeker --  are estimated at Rs 5-7 crore, the auction house said in a statement.

The auction will also feature a large-format painting by M F Husain, depicting Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi.

“The faceless representation of Mother Teresa in her distinct nun’s attire and Gandhi with his dhoti and walking stick is characteristic of Husain’s ability to convey identity through silhouette and gesture. Other symbolic elements, such as the chakra and lamp, further embed the work in a distinctly Indian visual and cultural lexicon. Executed in a restrained palette of black, white, brown, and blue, the painting enhances the dark yet deeply emotive quality of the piece,” it said.

The acrylic on canvas painting has been estimated to fetch Rs 2-3 crore.

Other works by Husain that are part of the auction include a watercolour titled “Horizon?” estimated at Rs 10-15 lakh, an untitled oil on canvas estimated at Rs 60-80 lakh, and an acrylic on woodcut “Gaja Gamini” estimated at Rs 15-20 lakh.

The auction will also offer A Ramachandran’s “Visions of Ramdev - Ahalya in Red” - his mythological reinterpretation from the tale of Ahalya in the Ramayan, presenting the figure in a moment of awakening.

Painted in 2001, the work exemplifies Ramachandran’s ability to integrate classical themes with a contemporary painterly vocabulary steeped in ecological and cultural symbolism as rich reds, detailed foliage, and architectural forms surround her.

The oil on canvas painting has been estimated at Rs 1.2-1.6 crore.

Other artists to be a part of the auction include J P Gangooly, Krishen Khanna, Nandalal Bose, S L Haldankar, Ganesh Haloi and Sadanand Bakre.

Gangooly’s landscape circa 1930 captures a winding path flanked by autumnal trees and distant hills. Gangooly’s romantic naturalism and tonal subtlety give the composition a meditative quality that echoes the early stirrings of Indian modernist thought, as it began to absorb and localise Western techniques.

The work is expected to fetch Rs 1-1.5 crore in the auction.

Khanna mixed media on canvas, estimated at Rs 40-60 lakh, features his recurring subject of the “bandwalla”.

The lone trumpeter, part of a decades-long exploration, stands in contemplative stillness, symbolising endurance, anonymity, and performance.

Created in 1953, Bose’s watercolour and ink on paper work reflects his Bengal school roots, combining soft gradations and fluid rhythm with an economy of line.

The painting, a National Art Treasure, has been estimated at Rs 25-35 lakh.