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George Keyt — featured artwork

Introduction

Date of Birth
17 Apr 1901
Zodiac sign
Aries
Date of Death
31 Jul 1993
Age
92
Place of Birth
Kandy, Sri Lanka
Place of Death
Colombo, Sri Lanka
State Country of Birth
Sri Lanka
State Country of Death
Sri Lanka

Exhibitions

  1. 1928

    1. Memorial Exhibition in honour of W.W. Heling, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  2. 1929

    1. Group Show with other Sri Lankan artists, W.W. Beling, Winzer and Justin Daraniyagala, Ceylon Art Club, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  3. 1930

    1. Group Show with W.W. Beling and Winzer, Ferguson Memorial Hall, Sri Lanka

  4. 1932

    1. Joint Show with W.W. Beling, Motor Show room, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  5. 1936

    1. Joint Show with Justin Daraniyagala, Organised by Dr. G.P. Malasekhara & Ceylonese Society of Arts, Colombo Art Gallery, Colom

  6. 1946

    1. Exhibition in India, Organised by Mulk Raj Anand, Anil de Silva & others

  7. 1953

    1. Exhibition Organised by All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi and Group 43, Colombo in New Delhi, India

  8. 1954

    1. Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK,
    2. Art Institute of Rotterdam, Netherlands

  9. 1956

    1. Exhibition Organised by Peradeniya University, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  10. 1967

    1. Stained Glass Wall designed for the Sri Lanka Pavilion, Expo '67, Montreal, Canada

  11. 1968

    1. Samudra Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  12. 1969

    1. Selected Paintings & Drawings by George Keyt, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi, India
    2. Exhibition of Recent Drawings, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai, India

  13. 1972

    1. Lionel Wendt Memorial Exhibition, Colombo, Sri Lanka
    2. Lionel Weldt Memorial Exhibition, Colombo, Sri Lanka

  14. 1974

    1. Recent Paintings and Drawings, Commonwealth Art Gallery, London, UK

  15. 1975

    1. Selected Paintings and Drawings by George Keyt, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi, India
    2. Exhibition of Recent Paintings, Organised by French Embassy, Kalagaraya Gallery and French Club of the University of Sri Lanka

  16. 1993

    1. Recent Work Selected Poems and Some Previously Unexhibited Work from Private Collections, Presented by George Keyt Foundation,at National Art Gallery, Colombo, Sri Lanka (17 - 22 April)

  17. 1997

    1. Glimpses of Histroy of Contemporary Indian Art, Dhoomimal Gallery, New Delhi, India

      29 Sep 1997 to 18 Oct 1997

    2. Intuitive Logic: A Festival of Indian Contemporary Painting, Presented by The Tuli Foundation for Holistic Education & Art (HEART) t National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai, India

      01 Mar 1997 to 19 Apr 1997

  18. 2001

  19. 2003

    1. Contemporary Indian Art: A journey to the Past, through the Present, unto the Future, Dhoomimal Gallery, New Delhi, India

  20. 2004

    1. Manifestations II: Indian Art in the 20th Century, Presented by Delhi Art Gallery, at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, India

      25 Jul 2004 to 31 Jul 2004

  21. 2005

    1. Revisualising India, From The Osian's Archive & Library Collection, Curated by Neville Tuli, Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan New Delhi, India

      16 Aug 2005 to 02 Sep 2005

  22. 2006

    1. The Osian Asian, an Exhibition from the Osian's Archive & Library Collection, Curated by Neville Tuli, Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India

      29 Jun 2006 to 19 Jul 2006

  23. 2007

    1. Winter Moderns: M.F. Husain, B. Prabha, George Keyt, F.N. Souza, Shyamal Dutta-Ray, Gallery Artslndia, Murray Hill, New York, USA

      14 Dec 2007 to 23 Feb 2008

  24. 2008

    1. Contemporary Art from Malaysia & Sri Lanka at the International Asian Art Fair, Shalini Ganendra Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

      14 Mar 2008 to 19 Mar 2008

  25. 2010

    1. Open Doors, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art

      01 Jan 2010 to 31 Oct 2010

    2. Figure / Landscape - Part One, Aicon Gallery, New York, USA

      28 Oct 2010 to 20 Nov 2010

    3. Figure / Landscape: Part Two, Aicon Gallery, London, UK

      03 Dec 2010 to 09 Jan 2011

  26. 2011

    1. Manifestations VI, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, India

      24 Oct 2011 to 24 Dec 2011

    2. Ethos V: Indian Art Through the Lens of History

  27. 2012

    1. Manifestations VIII: 20th Century Indian Art, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, India

      22 Nov 2012 to 29 Dec 2012

  28. 2013

    1. The Naked and the Nude: The Body in Indian Modern Art, Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi, India

      02 Feb 2013 to 23 Mar 2013

    2. Past Parallels: The Art of Modern & Pre-Modern India, Aicon Gallery,  Greenwich Village, New York, USA

      13 Mar 2013 to 04 May 2013

40 of 59
Keyt, George (Artist). George Keyt Centennial, 2001 | Solo Exhibition Catalogue | 00882951
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Keyt, George (Artist). George Keyt Centennial, 2001 | Solo Exhibition Catalogue | 00882951

Chronicled Highlights

22 entries
George Keyt
1901Born
George Keyt
George Keyt was born in 1901 in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Keyt, George (Artist). Triptych 1929. Oil on canvas, 1929 | Painting | FineArts | 00335967
Keyt, George (Artist). Triptych 1929. Oil on canvas, 1929 | Painting | FineArts | 00335967
In 2018, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Triptych 1929 (1929), offered in the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art & Art of Pakistan by Bonhams, which concluded on 24 October 2018 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹1,54,46,096.25 ($191,351). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1932 | Painting | 00880619
Keyt, George (Artist). Untitled. Oil on canvas, 1932 | Painting | 00880619
In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1932), offered in the The Indian Sale by Sotheby's, which concluded on 23 May 2006 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹49,41,504 ($108,557). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Two Women. Oil on canvas, 1930's | Painting | 00877034
Keyt, George (Artist). Two Women. Oil on canvas, 1930's | Painting | 00877034
In 1999, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Two Women (1935), offered in the Modern and Contemporary Indian Paintings by Bonhams, which concluded on 16 June 1999 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹5,13,817 ($11,897). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Lovers. Oil on canvas, 1936 | Painting | 00879842
Keyt, George (Artist). Lovers. Oil on canvas, 1936 | Painting | 00879842
In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Lovers (1936), offered in the Masterpieces & Museum Quality Series VI: With Rare Drawings and Books on Indian Contemporary Art by Osian's, which concluded on 01 March 2006 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹21,85,000 ($49,267). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Sri Krishna Gives The Sign. Watercolour and wash on paper pasted on mount board, 1943 | Painting | FineArts | 0022570
Keyt, George (Artist). Sri Krishna Gives The Sign. Watercolour and wash on paper pasted on mount board, 1943 | Painting | FineArts | 0022570
This work is a study for a painting titled Bhima Jarasandha. In 1943, Keyt was living in Amunugama, near Kandy, and was inspired by the struggles between Nazi Germany and the Allied Powers. He was intensely anti-fascist and anti-imperialist and produced many drawings and an oil painting of the subject of a similar struggle between Bhima and Jarasandha related in the Mahabharata.
Keyt, George (Artist). Woman with Mirror. Oil on canvas, 1944 | Painting | FineArts | 00372359
Keyt, George (Artist). Woman with Mirror. Oil on canvas, 1944 | Painting | FineArts | 00372359
In 1995, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Woman with Mirror (1944), offered in the Indian Contemporary Paintings: Islamic Works of Art and Indian, Himalaya and South-East Asian Art by Sotheby's, which concluded on 19 October 1995 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹4,04,211 ($11,788). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Woman Bathing. Oil on canvas laid down on card, c.1945 | Painting | FineArts | 00373071
Keyt, George (Artist). Woman Bathing. Oil on canvas laid down on card, c.1945 | Painting | FineArts | 00373071
In 1996, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Woman Bathing (1945), offered in the Modern and Contemporary Indian Paintings: One Hundred Years by Sotheby's, which concluded on 08 October 1996 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹4,45,120 ($12,501.61). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Women. Tempera, mid 1940s | Painting | FineArts | 00599871
Keyt, George (Artist). Women. Tempera, mid 1940s | Painting | FineArts | 00599871
In 2003, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Women (1945), offered in the Fn-Fn: Figurative Non-Figurative Narration: Auctions of Indian Modern & Contemporary Paintings & Books by Osian's, which concluded on 27 November 2003 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹7,70,000 ($16,779). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Seated Woman with Flowers. Oil on canvas, 1946 | Painting | FineArts | 00373644
Keyt, George (Artist). Seated Woman with Flowers. Oil on canvas, 1946 | Painting | FineArts | 00373644
In 1997, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Seated Woman with Flowers (1946), offered in the The Indian Sale by Sotheby's, which concluded on 08 May 1997 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹5,00,827 ($13,988). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Woman. Oil on canvas, 1951 | Painting | FineArts | 00373285
Keyt, George (Artist). Woman. Oil on canvas, 1951 | Painting | FineArts | 00373285
Keyt’s paintings are altogether traditional: they are meant to function as screens within which diverse pictographic images are spread. He sometimes even introduces perspective of a primitive kind, but not sufficient to make his paintings ‘windows or stages’: the subjects are almost static, elaborate, and clearly delineated forms in which ancient symbols such as the eye, the sun, and the moon are part of the assemblage. By the very simplicity of his method Keyt has, as it were, set himself apart from all the trends by which contemporary art is classified. That and that alone I think is its greatest claim to greatness.
Keyt, George (Artist). Untitled (Pindapatha). Oil on canvas, 1951 | Painting | FineArts | 00362801
Keyt, George (Artist). Untitled (Pindapatha). Oil on canvas, 1951 | Painting | FineArts | 00362801
If he speaks the language of Picasso, he does so in a rich and meaningful idiom of his own.
Keyt, George (Artist). Gopika Vastra Paharana. Oil on canvas, 1952 | Painting | FineArts | 00645552
Keyt, George (Artist). Gopika Vastra Paharana. Oil on canvas, 1952 | Painting | FineArts | 00645552
In 2013, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Gopika Vastra Paharana (1952), offered in the South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art by Christie's, which concluded on 11 June 2013 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹1,00,87,173 ($171,185). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Krishna And The Gopis. Oil on canvas, 1961 | Painting | 00881164
Keyt, George (Artist). Krishna And The Gopis. Oil on canvas, 1961 | Painting | 00881164
In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Krishna And The Gopis (1961), offered in the Contemporary Indian and Pakistani Paintings by Bonhams, which concluded on 14 September 2006 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹49,91,040 ($108,148). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Couple. Oil on canvas, 1966 | Painting | FineArts | 00598053
Keyt, George (Artist). Couple. Oil on canvas, 1966 | Painting | FineArts | 00598053
In 2005, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Couple (1966), offered in the Indian and Southeast Asian Art: Including Modern Indian Paintings by Sotheby's, which concluded on 01 April 2005 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹19,69,200 ($45,000). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Untitled (Girl with Ball). Oil on canvas, 1967 | Painting | FineArts | 00353388
Keyt, George (Artist). Untitled (Girl with Ball). Oil on canvas, 1967 | Painting | FineArts | 00353388
The lyric painting of George Keyt is sensuous Indian poetry brought to canvas. Like earlier Indian painters of Rajasthan and the Punjab Hills, and M. F. Husain after him, Keyt takes as his primary theme woman as the focus of man’s concern. He paints her in flat planes, with bounding lines and rich warmth of color. His idiom occasionally carries in it a hint of Picasso but is, once again, in direct line with the traditional styles of Central India, Mewar, and Basohli. But the originality of Keyt’s inspiration is undoubted, and his work remains uniquely his own.
Keyt, George (Artist). On The Terrace. Oil on canvas, 1970 | Painting | FineArts | 00600675
Keyt, George (Artist). On The Terrace. Oil on canvas, 1970 | Painting | FineArts | 00600675
In 2004, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of On The Terrace (1970), offered in the Indian and Southeast Asian Art: Including Modern Indian Paintings by Sotheby's, which concluded on 24 September 2004 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹8,26,920 ($18,000). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Lady With Waterpot. Oil on canvas, 1971 | Painting | FineArts | 00600676
Keyt, George (Artist). Lady With Waterpot. Oil on canvas, 1971 | Painting | FineArts | 00600676
In 2004, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Lady With Waterpot (1971), offered in the Indian and Southeast Asian Art: Including Modern Indian Paintings by Sotheby's, which concluded on 24 September 2004 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹9,37,176 ($20,400). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Untitled. Gouache on paper, 1975 | Painting | FineArts | 00371272
Keyt, George (Artist). Untitled. Gouache on paper, 1975 | Painting | FineArts | 00371272
In 1995, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1975), offered in the Contemporary Indian Paintings: From The Chester and Davida Herwitz Charitable Trust by Sotheby's, which concluded on 12 June 1995 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹1,53,476 ($4,887). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Kumudu. Acrylic on canvas, 1975 | Painting | FineArts | 00352251
Keyt, George (Artist). Kumudu. Acrylic on canvas, 1975 | Painting | FineArts | 00352251
Keyt’s ruling instinct has been to produce forms admirable to the eye by continual transformations and exaggerations of the natural features themselves. He seems to say, for instance, that “symmetry is not essential to my work, nor concealment, nor softness even: but curvature is, and roundness is, and if I must dislocate and rearrange my forms, the rearrangement must itself be in curves. He follows the Ananga Ranga in his choice of female types.
Keyt, George (Artist). Lovers. Acrylic on canvas, 1976 | Painting | FineArts | 00598006
Keyt, George (Artist). Lovers. Acrylic on canvas, 1976 | Painting | FineArts | 00598006
In 2005, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Lovers (1976), offered in the Indian and Southeast Asian Art: Including Modern and Contemporary Indian Art by Christie's, which concluded on 31 March 2005 at New York, achieving a sale price of ₹11,55,000 ($26,400). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Keyt, George (Artist). Nayika With Attendants. Oil on canvas, 1984 | Painting | 00879843
Keyt, George (Artist). Nayika With Attendants. Oil on canvas, 1984 | Painting | 00879843
In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Nayika With Attendants (1984), offered in the Masterpieces & Museum Quality Series VI: With Rare Drawings and Books on Indian Contemporary Art by Osian's, which concluded on 01 March 2006 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹23,00,000 ($51,860). This record marked a defining moment in the artist's market history, reflecting both the significance of the artwork and its reception within the broader art world.
Sotheby's (Auction House). Contemporary Indian Paintings - From The Chester and Davida Herwitz Charitable Trust. 12 June 1995, New York | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861841
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Sotheby's (Auction House). Contemporary Indian Paintings - From The Chester and Davida Herwitz Charitable Trust. 12 June 1995, New York | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861841
On 12 June 1995, made their debut in the Indian public auction market when Surya was presented as Lot in Contemporary Indian Paintings: From The Chester and Davida Herwitz Charitable Trust, conducted by Sotheby's in New York, USA. This auction marked the artist's first recorded appearance in the public auction market, establishing the earliest chapter of their auction history.

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