The Lahiri Collection: Indian and Himalayan Art, Ancient and Modern

Avijit Lahiri and his wife, Bratati, began collecting art in the mid-1970s having first been impressed by a large, captivating work by Jamini Roy at the Indian Craft Exhibition, Commonwealth Institute in London. Bratati's upbringing in Kolkata and the couple's subsequent visits to the Indian Museum in Kolkata over the years sparked their interest in collecting works of antiquity as well as modern. Among the many highlights in the collection are splendid Buddhist, Kashmiri and Pala bronzes, and a sandstone Indian Revanta panel from the 7th century A.D. during the post-Gupta period. Modern outstanding works include examples by Bengal School pioneers including Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose and Jamini Roy. Many of the works in the sale were recently exhibited at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, in March-June 2015.