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Signed front lower right in hindi.
Sizes:
Artwork: 76.5 × 96.5 cm | 30.1 × 38 in
Step into the sacred geometry of Benares, 1961, a masterful abstract composition by Ram Kumar—one of India’s most revered modernists. In this meditative canvas, Kumar distills the chaos and rhythm of urban life into a contemplative mosaic of layered earth tones, ochres, and fractured geometries. The spiritual heart of Varanasi is not depicted, but evoked—through silence, texture, and structure.
Ram Kumar’s abstraction does not narrate—it meditates. His forms, seemingly architectural yet dissolving into shadow, invite the viewer into a space that hovers between memory and metaphysics. The textured planes pulse with latent energy, as if remnants of a city remembered in dreams. There are no figures, no skyline—just the suggestion of presence and passage, like prayers echoing through stone.
Each brushstroke in Benares, 1961 is deliberate yet organic, capturing a moment between motion and stillness. The palette—anchored in clay, umber, moss, and faded saffron—seems to breathe with ancient air. Kumar renders abstraction as ritual, where form becomes a vessel for transcendence. The viewer is not merely an observer, but a participant in visual introspection.
This work offers a rare opportunity to acquire a piece from Kumar’s pivotal Benares period, when his philosophical turn toward abstraction reshaped Indian modernism. Works from this series are held in the most significant public and private collections and are increasingly sought after for their historical and cultural resonance. Benares, 1961 stands as a testament to Kumar’s singular voice—both contemplative and powerfully current.
Ram Kumar’s vision bridged European modernist techniques with Indian metaphysical thought. In this painting, he achieves not just aesthetic mastery, but a quiet revolution of seeing. It is a painting to live with—one that deepens with time, offering moments of reflection and connection. Like the eternal city it channels, Benares, 1961 is a work that endures, illumines, and transcends.
Good vintage condition with some signs of wear. Unframed.
This lot is catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification and is covered by our Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee under Section 4 of the Conditions of Sale. The guarantee concerns authorship; it does not extend to provenance, dating, condition or value, which are described to the best of our knowledge.
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The estimate of €20,000–€30,000 is our opinion of the range this work should reach; We have not published comparable results for this lot; ask us before the sale and we will send the results we based the estimate on.
Bidding on this site, the buyer’s premium is 25%, Spanish IVA included, and there is no VAT on the hammer price and no card fee: at the low estimate of €20,000 the total is €25,000; at the high estimate of €30,000 the total is €37,500.
Through LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Drouot or Bidspirit the premium is 30%, so the same hammer of €30,000 costs €39,000 there. Shipping and insurance are quoted separately; the estimator on this page gives the figure for your country. Buyers outside the EU pay no Spanish tax on the lot; the destination’s import rules apply (United States: original paintings and drawings enter duty-free; United Kingdom: 5% import VAT on art). Card payments are accepted up to €10,000; larger amounts by bank transfer.
Yes. This lot is catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification, so it carries our Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee under Section 4 of the Conditions of Sale: if the authorship proves materially incorrect, you may return the work within five years for a refund of the purchase price. The guarantee concerns authorship; provenance, dating, condition and value are described to the best of our knowledge and are not guaranteed.
A condition report with ultraviolet photographs is prepared on request, normally within two working days; the condition summary on this page is examined in-house and is not a conservator’s report. Further photographs of any detail, the reverse or the frame are sent on request. The work can be examined in our Barcelona showroom by appointment before the sale, and you are welcome to send your own conservator or specialist.
Ram Kumar, born in Shimla, India in 1924, was a pioneer of abstract art in India. His early life was marked by his education in Delhi, where he studied economics before moving to Paris in 1949 to study painting under renowned artists such as Fernand Léger. His initial works were figurative, but his style evolved into abstract expressionism over time. Deeply influenced by existentialism, Ram Kumar’s paintings often depicted inner struggles and emotional landscapes, moving away from traditional representations to explore human conditions through abstraction.
A pivotal moment in Ram Kumar’s career came after his visit to Varanasi in the 1960s, where the spiritual and physical contrasts of the city greatly impacted his work. His abstract urban landscapes, inspired by Varanasi’s ghats and temples, are considered some of his most powerful creations. Internationally acclaimed, Ram Kumar exhibited in prestigious events such as the Venice Biennale, and his contributions to modern art earned him numerous accolades, including the Padma Bhushan. His legacy endures as a key figure in Indian modernism, both as an artist and a writer.
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