K.G. Subramanyan

b. 15 Feb 1924, Kuthuparambu, Kerala, India

d. 29 Jun 2016, Vadodara, Gujarat, India



K.G. Subramanyan
K.G. Subramanyan was one of the most exciting, versatile and polymathic artists of India. He was, among other things, a seminal thinker and intellectual, a prolific writer on art and his art encompassed an ecclectic and diverse range of media.
K.G. Subramanyan was one of the most exciting, versatile and polymathic artists of India. He was, among other things, a seminal thinker and intellectual, a prolific writer on art and his art encompassed an ecclectic and diverse range of media.
K.G. Subramanyan
K.G. Subramanyan was one of the most exciting, versatile and polymathic artists of India. He was, among other things, a seminal thinker and intellectual, a prolific writer on art and his art encompassed an ecclectic and diverse range of media.

Introduction


Date of Birth

15 Feb 1924

Zodiac sign

Aquarius

Date of Death

29 Jun 2016

Age

92

Place of Birth

Kuthuparambu, Kerala, India

Place of Death

Vadodara, Gujarat, India

State Country of Birth

Kerala, India

State Country of Death

Gujarat, India





Date of Birth

15 Feb 1924

Zodiac sign

Aquarius

Date of Death

29 Jun 2016

Age

92

Place of Birth

Kuthuparambu, Kerala, India

Place of Death

Vadodara, Gujarat, India

State Country of Birth

Kerala, India

State Country of Death

Gujarat, India




Exhibitions

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Chronological Highlights

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KG Subramanyan was born in 1924 in Kuthuparambu Kerala India

1924

K.G. Subramanyan was born in 1924 in Kuthuparambu, Kerala, India.

Subramanyan KG Artist Windows IIIc Oil on ply-board 1968 Painting FineArts 0022617
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Windows IIIc. Oil on ply-board, 1968 | Painting | FineArts | 0022617

1968

Literary Reference

The window /grid functioned as a geometrical counterpoint to the organic/ gestural and heightened its dramatic verve. As a see-through barrier it also served to make the viewers aware of their voyeuristic role. In the three polyptichs he followed up with, incidentally also named Windows I, II & III during 1968- 9, these possibilities were given full play. Composed of nine small panels, each eighteen inches square, they turned the picture into a kaleidoscope peep show. By showing the figures and their backdrops in fragmentary closeups and rendering them in bright and flattened colours, he made the images strikingly animate, yet tantalizingly unrevealing. Thus, though repeated and serialized so as to suggest a ‘cartoon strip narration’ the final work is pure visuality dressed up as a mock narrative.

Subramanyan KG Artist Terrace I Oil on canvas 1973 Painting 00881116
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Terrace I. Oil on canvas, 1973 | Painting | 00881116

1973

Public Auction High

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Terrace I (1973), offered in the Forty Masterpieces Museum Quality Series VII by Osian's, which concluded on 09 September 2006 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹1,20,00,000 ($259,347). 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.

Subramanyan KG Artist Portrait Gallery Reverse oil painting on acrylic sheet 1981 Painting FineArts 00375820
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Portrait Gallery. Reverse oil painting on acrylic sheet, 1981 | Painting | FineArts | 00375820

1981

Literary Reference

K.G. Subramanyan’s ability to use the human form, especially the female face, as a means of creating images which fuse the playful and the harsh, the erotic and detached, so evolving an iconicity through the mood of an iconoclast, is unique. The pictorial techniques and modes of traditional Indian glass painting, the Kalighat pats, the Japanese Ukiyo-e woodcut prints and the art of Matisse, are all fused within his original artistic mind and hand, so revealing a style and idiom, totally his own

Subramanyan KG Artist K G Subramanyan - Retrospective Exhibition Calcutta Birla Academy of Art and Culture 1983 Solo...
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). K. G. Subramanyan - Retrospective Exhibition. Calcutta: Birla Academy of Art and Culture, 1983 | Solo Exhibition Catalogue | 00882801

1983

Retrospective Exhibition

In 1983, K. G. Subramanyan Retrospective Exhibition marked a major milestone in the exhibition history of K.G. Subramanyan, offering a retrospective survey of the artist's artistic production

Christie's (Auction House). Contemporary Indian Art (Charity Auction). 20 December 1987, Bombay | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00861836

1987

First Auction Appearance | BOOK.AUC

On 20 December 1987, K.G. Subramanyan made their debut in the Indian public auction market when Faces was presented as Lot 32 in Contemporary Indian Art (Charity Auction), conducted by Christie's in Mumbai, India. This auction marked the artist's first recorded appearance in the public auction market, establishing the earliest chapter of their auction history.

Subramanyan KG Artist Rain On High Street Gouache and oil on perspex 1987 Painting 00879884
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Rain On High Street. Gouache and oil on perspex, 1987 | Painting | 00879884

1987

Public Auction High

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Rain On High Street (1987), 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 ₹27,60,000 ($62,232). 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.

Subramanyan KG Artist Training For Circus Reverse painting in gouache and oil on acrylic sheet 1989 Painting 00879886
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Training For Circus. Reverse painting in gouache and oil on acrylic sheet, 1989 | Painting | 00879886

1989

Public Auction High

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Training For Circus (1989), 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 ₹32,20,000 ($72,604). 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.

Subramanyan KG Artist Symbols Of Liberty Reverse painting in gouache and oil on acrylic sheet 1989 Painting 00879885
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Symbols Of Liberty. Reverse painting in gouache and oil on acrylic sheet, 1989 | Painting | 00879885

1989

Public Auction High

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Symbols Of Liberty (1989), 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 ₹34,50,000 ($77,790). 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.

Subramanyan KG Artist Untitled Gouache on paper 1990 Painting FineArts 00597934
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Untitled. Gouache on paper, 1990 | Painting | FineArts | 00597934

1990

Public Auction High

In 2005, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1990), offered in the Modern and Contemporary Paintings by Nine Masters: Spring Online Auction by Saffronart, which concluded on 02 March 2005 at Online, achieving a sale price of ₹9,61,400 ($22,000). 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.

Subramanyan KG Artist Odd Encounters Oil on canvas 1994 Painting FineArts 00597932
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Odd Encounters. Oil on canvas, 1994 | Painting | FineArts | 00597932

1994

Public Auction High

In 2005, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Odd Encounters (1994), offered in the Modern and Contemporary Paintings by Nine Masters: Spring Online Auction by Saffronart, which concluded on 02 March 2005 at Online, achieving a sale price of ₹19,25,597 ($44,064). 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.

Subramanyan KG Artist Two Women Acrylic on silk 1999 Painting 00880933
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Two Women. Acrylic on silk, 1999 | Painting | 00880933

1999

Public Auction High

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Two Women (1999), offered in the The Bengal Art Auction: Early and Current Art of the Region by Apparao Art, which concluded on 03 September 2006 at Online, achieving a sale price of ₹70,85,000 ($152,562). 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.

Subramanyan KG Artist Buss Cola And The Beauty Queens Oil on canvas 2000 Painting FineArts 00372668
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Buss Cola And The Beauty Queens. Oil on canvas, 2000 | Painting | FineArts | 00372668

2000

Public Auction High

In 2001, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Buss Cola And The Beauty Queens (2000), offered in the Indian Contemporary Fine Art by Saffronart, which concluded on 21 September 2001 at Los Angeles, achieving a sale price of ₹3,84,080 ($8,000). 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.

Subramanyan KG Artist Mask Icon Mount Mascot Oil on canvas 2000 Painting FineArts 00375020
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Mask, Icon, Mount, Mascot. Oil on canvas, 2000 | Painting | FineArts | 00375020

2000

Public Auction High

In 2002, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Mask, Icon, Mount, Mascot (2000), offered in the Modern Indian Paintings by Saffronart, which concluded on 16 May 2002 at Online, achieving a sale price of ₹3,98,400 ($8,121). 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.

Subramanyan KG Artist and R Siva Kumar Curator KG Subramanyan - A Retrospective New Delhi National Gallery of Modern...
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist) and R. Siva Kumar (Curator). K.G. Subramanyan - A Retrospective. New Delhi: National Gallery of Modern Art, 2003 | Solo Exhibition Catalogue | 00882988

2003

Retrospective Exhibition

In 2003, K.G. Subramanyan A Retrospective marked a major milestone in the exhibition history of K.G. Subramanyan, offering a retrospective survey of the artist's artistic production

Subramanyan KG Artist Black Grey White Acrylic and oil on canvas 2014 Painting FineArts 00641739
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Black Grey White. Acrylic and oil on canvas, 2014 | Painting | FineArts | 00641739

2014

Public Auction High

In 2016, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Black Grey White (2014), offered in the Modern Indian Art by Asta Guru, which concluded on 22 March 2016 at Online, achieving a sale price of ₹1,33,58,400 ($200,754). 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.

Subramanyan KG Artist Pastoral Acrylic oil on canvas 2014 Painting FineArts 00420166
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Pastoral. Acrylic & oil on canvas, 2014 | Painting | FineArts | 00420166

2014

Public Auction High

In 2022, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Pastoral (2014), offered in the Historic Masterpieces by Asta Guru, which concluded on 28 December 2022 at Online, achieving a sale price of ₹2,25,02,850 ($271,385.81). 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.

Subramanyan KG Artist Janmashtami Acrylic on canvas 2015 Painting FineArts 00333587
Subramanyan, K.G. (Artist). Janmashtami. Acrylic on canvas, 2015 | Painting | FineArts | 00333587

2015

Public Auction High

In 2018, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Janmashtami (2015), offered in the Evening Sale by Saffronart, which concluded on 13 March 2018 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹1,74,00,000 ($271,875). 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.

Asta Guru Auction House Modern Indian Art 14 May 2019 Mumbai Auction Catalogue EconomicsArt 00862313
Asta Guru (Auction House). Modern Indian Art. 14 May 2019, Mumbai | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862313

2019

Featured on Auction Catalogue Cover | AG.Mum/14.05.19

In 2019, an artwork by K.G. Subramanyan was featured on the cover of Asta Guru: Modern Indian Art (May 2019, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Saffronart Auction House Creative Circuit - The Art of K G Subramanyan 20 January 2021 Online Auction Catalogue Econo...
Saffronart (Auction House). Creative Circuit - The Art of K G Subramanyan. 20 January 2021, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862372

2021

Featured on Auction Catalogue Cover | Sa.Onl/20.01.21

In 2021, an artwork by K.G. Subramanyan was featured on the cover of Saffronart: Creative Circuit (January 2021, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

Asta Guru Auction House Modern Indian Art - Collectors Choice 03 May 2022 Online Auction Catalogue EconomicsArt 00862425
Asta Guru (Auction House). Modern Indian Art - Collectors Choice. 03 May 2022, Online | Auction Catalogue | EconomicsArt | 00862425

2022

Featured on Auction Catalogue Cover | AG.Onl/03.05.22

In 2022, an artwork by K.G. Subramanyan was featured on the cover of Asta Guru: Modern Indian Art (May 2022, Mumbai), marking a documented highlight in the artist's public and auction market visibility.

1968

1973

1981

1983

1987

1989

1990

1994

1999

2000

2003

2014

2015

2019

2021

2022

Economics of Art

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