Latest news with #SecondRoundTableConference
India Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Rare Gandhi portrait, for which he agreed to sit, on sale in London
A rare portrait of Mahatma Gandhi — for which he agreed to pose while seated — is going up for auction in London in July. The painting, painted in 1931 by British artist Clare Leighton, is estimated to be sold for 50,000-70,000 pounds (Rs 58 lakh to Rs 81 lakh), according to a report in The Times of India. The auction house, Bonhams, said the painting is "thought to be the only oil portrait that Gandhi actually sat for," BBC to the artist's family, a Hindu right-wing activist tried to vandalise the portrait in 1974 when it was publicly rare oil painting is hitting the auction block for the first time, having stayed in Leighton's personal collection until her death in 1989, after which it was inherited by her family. The auction will happen between July 7 and 15 at Bonhams. "This is a painting of unique historic and cultural significance. It would be great if it could be seen and appreciated more widely, whether in India or elsewhere," Caspar Leighton, a great-nephew of the artist, told the OF REPAIR WORK ON THE PORTRAITThough the artist's family claims the portrait was attacked, there is no documented proof to confirm the same. However, the painting shows signs of damage, including what appear to be repaired tears in several have found no documentation to corroborate this (attack), but the painting shows signs of restoration to what appears to be repaired tears in several places. A label attached to the backing board confirms the painting was restored in 1974 by the Lyman Allyn Museum Conservation Laboratory," the catalogue entry states, according to the TOI report."There is nothing comparable to this painting in existence as it was painted in his lifetime and was a painting that he sat for on multiple occasions," TOI quoted Rhyanon Demery, head of sales auction house, as best known for her wood engravings, met Mahatma Gandhi during his 1931 visit to London for the Second Round Table Conference, a series of conferences organised by the British government to discuss constitutional reforms in the time, she was introduced to Gandhi by her friend Henry Noel Brailsford, a political journalist who supported India's independence became one of the very few artists admitted to Brailsford's office and was given the opportunity to sit with Gandhi to sketch and paint him in 1931, TOI SECRETARY MAHADEV DESAI WROTE LETTER OF APPRECIATIONIn November 1931, Leighton exhibited her portrait works at the Albany Galleries in Gandhi's personal secretary, Mahadev Desai, sent a letter to Leighton — now affixed to the portrait's backing board — expressing gratitude: "It was such a pleasure to have had you here for many mornings doing Mr Gandhi's portrait."In 2017, a rare pencil portrait of Gandhi was auctioned for 32,500 pounds, about four times its estimated price, according to a report by news agency PTI."Gandhi usually refused to sit for formal photographs, let alone a portraitist, making this an extremely rare portrayal of the political leader at work," the auction house had said in a Watch
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Mahatma Gandhi's only known portrait in oil paint to go under the hammer
In July, an oil painting of Mahatma Gandhi made by Clare Leighton, an artist renowned for her wood engravings, will be auctioned for the first time — believed to be the only oil portrait of the Mahatma. Portrait of Mahatma Gandhi will form part of Bonhams' Travel and Exploration Sale to be held online between July 7 and 15. The 30 1/8 x 25' canvas is priced between GBP 50,000 and 70,000 ( ₹ 58 lakh and ₹81 lakh). Leighton, who met Gandhi in London in 1931, even made a drawing of him while he was asleep. How did this painting come to be? And what did Gandhi think of it? Let's find out. Towards the end of August 1931, Mahatma Gandhi and a group of hopeful men and women seeking independence for India, buoyed by the success of the Dandi March and the salt satyagraha, boarded a ship for England to attend the Second Round Table Conference. The conference, however, was a tense one, as arch negotiator Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi found himself at odds with members of his own delegation — drawn from the princely order, the landlords, the titled gentry and the leaders of Hindu groups — as well as battling the hardened colonialists who were not interested in his demand for self-governance and an Indian Constitution. The conference lasted a few months, but amidst the tense negotiations, Gandhi decided to do the 'real round table work' and get to know the people of England. On social reformer Muriel Lester's invitation, he stayed at the community centre in Kingsley Hall in East End, took his morning walks in its streets and made friends with the children, to whom he became 'Uncle Gandhi'. He also met several people, from the cotton mill workers of Lancashire, heavily impacted by his Swadeshi movement to political activists who were sympathetic to the cause. Even Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein wrote to him during his time in London —'We may hope that your example will spread beyond the borders of your country', he said. It was during this time that Gandhi met Leighton and sculptor Jo Davidson, both of whom took the opportunity to get Gandhi to model for them. (Davidson's bronze bust of Gandhi is now in the permanent collection of the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum). She returned to oil paints rarely — Gandhi's portrait being one occasion. In November 1931, the artist exhibited this painting at the Albany Galleries in Sackville Street, London. According to press reports, Gandhi did not attend the exhibition, but the event drew the attention of many powerful people including 'Members of Parliament and ex-Members, artists, journalists and art critics … dignified figures of some of the chief Hindu representatives… Mrs (Sarojini) Naidu, the statesman-poet... and Sir Purshotamdas Thakurdas, one of the Mahatma's colleagues'. The oil portrait occupied pride of place, and was presented on an easel. Saddened by the result of the conference, Gandhi left London on December 5, 1931 and declined invitations to visit America and Europe. He only agreed to spend a few days in Switzerland with his biographer Romain Rolland, and visited the Vatican before returning to India on December 28. Within a week, he was imprisoned and the Civil Disobedience movement was resumed. But Gandhi did not let political events get in the way of social niceties. His long-time associate and secretary Mahadev Desai wrote a letter to Leighton in December 1931 which thanked her for her painting. 'It was such a pleasure to have had you here for many mornings doing Mr Gandhi's portrait. I am sorry I didn't see the final result, but many of my friends who saw it in the Albany Gallery said to me that it was a good likeness. I am quite sure Mr Gandhi has no objection to its being reproduced,' he wrote. The Bonhams website explains that the painting was also shown in 1978 as part of the Boston Public Library's exhibition, Clare Leighton: American Sheaves English Seed Corn. The work showed clear signs of restoration. The Lyman Allyn Museum Conservation Laboratory had repaired tears in several places — according to the artist's family, the painting was attacked by a religious zealot in 1974. The work remained in the family after Leighton's death in 1989.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Only Known Portrait Of Mahatma Gandhi Set To Be Auctioned. It Will Cost...
New Delhi: A rare painting of Mahatma Gandhi, believed to be the only one he ever posed for, is set to go under the hammer in London. The artwork, created in 1931 by British artist Clare Leighton, will be auctioned at Bonhams in July. The oil painting will go on sale on July 11 and is expected to fetch between 50,000 - 70,000 pounds (approx. Rs 58 lakh to Rs 81 lakh), according to a report. This rare oil painting is up for auction for the first time. Earlier, it was displayed publicly in 1974 but was allegedly attacked with a knife. There is no concrete evidence, but the catalogue description states that they couldn't find any supporting documentation. Nevertheless, the picture exhibits evidence of restoration to what appear to be mended tears in multiple areas. A label on the back confirms the artwork was restored in 1974 by the Lyman Allyn Museum Conservation Laboratory. Ms Leighton made this portrait when Gandhi visited London in 1931 to attend the Second Round Table Conference. During his visit, she was introduced to Gandhi by her close friend and political journalist Henry Noel Brailsford. An ardent advocate of Indian independence, Mr Brailsford visited India in 1930 and went on to write the book Rebel India to support the cause. Through this connection, Ms Leighton first met Gandhi and was allowed to sit with him several times to sketch and paint his likeness. She was one of the few artists allowed into his office. Rhyanon Demery, head of sales, said, "There is nothing comparable to this painting in existence, as it was painted in his lifetime and was a painting that he sat for on multiple occasions." For the first time, Ms Leighton displayed her artwork in November 1931 at Albany Galleries in London. The next month, she received a letter from Mahadev Desai, Gandhi's personal secretary. The back of the painting still has a copy of this letter attached. The letter reads, "It was such a pleasure to have had you here for many mornings doing Mr Gandhi's portrait."
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Only painting Mahatma Gandhi sat for to be auctioned at Bonhams in UK
An oil portrait believed to be the only painting Mahatma Gandhi sat for is set to be auctioned at Bonhams in July with an estimate of £50,000-£70,000 (Rs 58 lakh to Rs 81 lakh), reported TOI. This will be the first time the portrait will be sold at an auction. It had remained in British artist Clare Leighton's collection until her death in 1989, after which it was passed down through her family. Leighton was best known for her her wooden engravings and was introduced to Gandhi when she visited London in 1931 to attend the Second Round Table Conference. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trading CFD dengan Teknologi dan Kecepatan Lebih Baik IC Markets Mendaftar Undo At the time, Leighton was in a relationship with political journalist Henry Noel Brailsford, who was a passionate supporter of Indian Independence. The journalist had visited India in 1930, where he met key freedom fighters. Later, he published the book 'Rebel India', met Gandhi in London in 1931 and introduced Leighton to him. She was one of the few artists who were admitted to Gandhi's office and had the opportunity to sit with him to sketch and paint him in 1931. Live Events In November 1931, Leighton showcased her portraits at the Albany Galleries in London. Gandhi's personal secretary, Mahadev Desai, wrote a letter to Leighton in December. The copy of which is attached to the backing board, which reads: 'It was such a pleasure to have had you here for many mornings doing Mr Gandhi's portrait.' According to Leighton's family, the portrait was displayed in 1974 when it was allegedly attacked with a knife by a Hindu right-wing activist. The catalogue entry states: 'We have found no documentation to corroborate this, but the painting shows signs of restoration to what appears to be repaired tears in several places. A label attached to the backing board confirms the painting was restored in 1974 by the Lyman Allyn Museum Conservation Laboratory.' 'There is nothing comparable to this painting in existence as it was painted in his lifetime and was a painting that he sat for on multiple occasions,' Rhyanon Demery, head of sale, told TOI. The auction is scheduled from July 7 to 15.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Painting believed to be only one Mahatma Gandhi sat for going under hammer at Bonhams
TOI correspondent from London : An oil portrait believed to be the only painting Mahatma Gandhi ever sat for is going under the hammer at Bonhams in July with an estimate of £50,000-£70,000 (Rs 58 lakh to Rs 81 lakh. ) It is the first time this portrait has ever been sold at auction as it remained in British artist Clare Leighton's collection until her death in 1989, after which it was passed down through her family. Leighton, reputed for her wooden engravings, was introduced to Gandhi when he visited London in 1931 to attend the Second Round Table Conference. At the time, she was in a relationship with political journalist Henry Noel Brailsford, who was a passionate supporter of Indian Independence. He had travelled to India in 1930 where he met key Independence figures. Afterwards he published the book 'Rebel India', met Gandhi in London in 1931 and introduced Leighton to him. She became one of very few artists admitted to his office and was given the opportunity to sit with him to sketch and paint him in 1931. In Nov 1931 Leighton showcased her portraits at the Albany Galleries in London. The following month, Gandhi's personal secretary, Mahadev Desai, wrote a letter to Leighton, a copy of which is attached to the backing board, which reads: 'It was such a pleasure to have had you here for many mornings doing Mr Gandhi's portrait.' According to the artist's family, the portrait was on public display in 1974 when it was allegedly attacked with a knife by a Hindu right-wing activist. The catalogue entry states: 'We have found no documentation to corroborate this, but the painting shows signs of restoration to what appears to be repaired tears in several places. A label attached to the backing board confirms the painting was restored in 1974 by the Lyman Allyn Museum Conservation Laboratory. ' 'There is nothing comparable to this painting in existence as it was painted in his lifetime and was a painting that he sat for on multiple occasions,' Rhyanon Demery, head of sale, told TOI. The auction takes place from 7 to 15 July.
