52-53 / 168
52
53
JEAN‒MARIE DROT
The present lot was acquired by Jean‒Marie Drot, a well‒
known French writer and documentary filmmaker. Born in
Nancy in 1929, Drot was considered an illustrious pioneer
of French cultural television. In 1960, Drot began filming a
documentary series on the old quarter of Montaparnasse,
once the heart of the cultural life of Paris where artists,
poets and intellectuals gathered
.
Les Heures Chaudes de
Montparnasse
, a 14‒episode series faithfully recreated the
flamboyant art scene of 1920s Paris, and demonstrated Drot’s
talent as an incisive documentarian. Drot also produced
monographic films on several other individual artists of the
Ecole de Paris, including, among others, Amedeo Modigliani,
Alberto Giacometti and Marcel Duchamp.
With his significant contributions to the field of art and
culture, Drot was appointed cultural advisor to the French
embassy in Greece and director of the Institut Français
d’Athens from 1982 to 1984. The following year he became
director of the Académie de France at Villa Medici in
Rome, Italy. Accompanied by his friend, the novelist and
art historian André Malraux, Drot travelled to many
parts of the world, experiencing many cultures. He was
passionate about collecting art and acquired many works
by European and international artists, including Indian
modernists Akbar Padamsee and S H Raza. The present lot
was part of the Jean‒Marie Drot’s extensive collection of
world art.
27
AKBAR PADAMSEE
(b. 1928)
Untitled
Circa 1960s
Oil on canvas
39.25 x 39.25 in (100 x 100 cm)
Rs 1,50,00,000 ‒ 2,00,00,000
$ 223,885 ‒ 298,510
PROVENANCE:
Collection of Mr Jean‒Marie Drot, Paris
Private Collection, UK
Akbar Padamsee,
Delta
, 1963
Saffronart, New Delhi, 11 September 2015,
lot 48
Sold at INR 3 crores (USD 461,538)
Image courtesy of Cornette de Saint Cyr Auction House