Latest news with #LosAngelesModernAuctions
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
Despite UT member's alert, 2 sets of Chandigarh's heritage furniture auctioned for Rs 18.56 lakh in US
Two sets of heritage furniture designed by Swiss architect Pierre Jeanneret, part of Chandigarh's protected architectural legacy, were auctioned in the US for Rs 18.56 lakh. According to Ajay Jagga, member of the Chandigarh Administration's Heritage Items Protection Cell, the auction took place on July 17 at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA). The items included a desk-chair set, a file rack, and a pair of nightstands. These pieces were originally listed with a reserve price of Rs 29.23 lakh, but two of the three items were sold for less. Jagga revealed that despite advance warnings, the Indian Embassy in San Francisco did not act to halt the sale. 'The Indian Embassy must at least raise an alarm to save the heritage. The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has banned the movement of these articles of Chandigarh, in 2011 and as such, these all, appears to have been smuggled out of India,' Jagga said. He further added that the ongoing auctions can be stopped only through diplomatic channels and brought back, as they were taken out in an illegal manner. 'We must seek protection of our heritage, in accordance with the rules/protocol, for which we must raise alarm. We must seek, as to how these items reach auction houses in the US, where are the original documents, bills, proof of transportation from India to the US,' Jagga further said. He reiterated that such auctions can only be stopped and reversed through diplomatic intervention, urging the central government to step in and initiate efforts to reclaim the heritage assets.
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
At a reserve price of Rs 29.23 lakh, Chandigarh's heritage items to go under the hammer in US
A member of the Chandigarh Administration has raised concern over city's several iconic heritage items, which are designed by Swiss architect Pierre Jeanneret, set to be auctioned by Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) in the US on July 17. The collection includes a desk and chair, a file rack, and a pair of nightstands, with a combined reserve price fixed at around Rs 29.23 lakh. Ajay Jagga, member of the Heritage Items Protection Cell of the Chandigarh Administration, stated that these pieces appear to have been smuggled out of India, despite the Ministry of Home Affairs having banned their movement abroad in 2011. Jagga has appealed to Dr K Srikar Reddy, consul general of India at San Francisco, to intervene through diplomatic channels and alert auction houses to halt the sale. He also called for clarity on how these items reached the auction house, seeking documentation such as bills, transportation or export permits, and custody trail, saying these need to be scrutinised.
