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L Munuswamy — featured artwork

Introduction

Date of Birth
01 Aug 1927
Zodiac sign
Leo
Place of Birth
Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
State Country of Birth
Tamil Nadu, India

Chronicled Highlights 71960 – 2002

L Munuswamy was born in 1927 in Madras, Tamil Nadu, India.

1960
Public Auction HighPainting
Osian's · Historical Series IIINew Delhi · 24 November 2006

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of In Harmony (1960), offered in the Historical Series III by Osian's, which concluded on 24 November 2006 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹18,00,000 ($40,116). 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.

Munuswamy, L. (Artist). In Harmony, 1960 | Painting
Selling price
INR18,00,000
Within estimate
Estimate
INR 15,00,000 – 18,75,000
Rate per sq in
INR 791
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
49.8 × 45.7 in (127 × 116 cm)
Lot
85 · Os.Del/24.11.06
1962
Public Auction HighPainting
Osian's · Fn-Fn: Figurative Non-Figurative Narration: Auctions of Indian Modern & Contemporary Paintings & BooksMumbai · 27 November 2003

In 2003, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Untitled (1962), 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 ₹1,10,000 ($2,397). 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.

Munuswamy, L. (Artist). Untitled, 1962 | Painting
Selling price
INR1,10,000
Below low estimate
Estimate
INR 1,25,000 – 1,75,000
Rate per sq in
INR 123
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
29.9 × 29.9 in (76 × 76 cm)
Lot
223 · Os.Mum/27.11.03
1962
Public Auction HighPainting
Osian's · Masterpieces & Museum Quality Series VI: With Rare Drawings and Books on Indian Contemporary ArtNew Delhi · 01 March 2006

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Poised For Combat (1962), 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 ₹10,92,500 ($24,634). 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.

Munuswamy, L. (Artist). Poised For Combat, c.1962 | Painting
Selling price
INR10,92,500
Within estimate
Estimate
INR 10,00,000 – 12,50,000
Rate per sq in
INR 423
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
41.5 × 62.2 in (105 × 158 cm)
Lot
88 · Os.Del/01.03.06
1962
Literary Reference & Public Auction HighPainting
Osian's · Historical Series IIINew Delhi · 24 November 2006
Animals (1961), the most dramatic of Munuswamy’s compositions from this period, points to his growing confidence in his abilities. It could be called Munuswamy’s homage to Cubism, for he has broken up the image in neatly placed areas of colour that jostle with rhythm and energy conveying the idea perhaps of one animal about to mount the other, but this is not entirely clear. It may or may not be a bull. The two animals could just as well be packhorses bumping into each other on a trek across the mountainside. It’s a dramatic composition, the whites and orange-reds standing out against the green of the hillside, the entire piece held together by black brush strokes that reign the image, creating a magnificent montage of shapes and colour.

In 2006, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Animals In Composition (1962), offered in the Historical Series III by Osian's, which concluded on 24 November 2006 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹22,80,000 ($50,813). 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.
Munuswamy, L. (Artist). Animals In Composition, 1962 | Painting
Selling price
INR22,80,000
14% above high estimate
Estimate
INR 16,00,000 – 20,00,000
Rate per sq in
INR 988
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
48.4 × 47.6 in (123 × 121 cm)
Lot
86 · Os.Del/24.11.06
1962
Literary ReferencePainting
Osian's · Indian Antiquities, Modern and Contemporary Fine ArtsMumbai · 19 June 2015

Munuswamy was learning to dream in colour, and though the line was ever-present below the surface of the paint, the artist seemed ready to allow his imagination a free reign. ..…one can see Munuswamy’s work alternating between monumental compositions – where he uses thick heavy coats of paint, placing the image squarely at the centre of his canvas, as in the image of a treetrunk or The Chair (his tribute to Van Gogh?), suggesting a distinct presence of its own – and an almost ethereal style where colours and forms are applied with the utmost delicacy.

Munuswamy, L. (Artist). The Chair, 1962 | Painting
Selling price
INR6,00,000
Within estimate
Estimate
INR 6,00,000 – 9,00,000
Rate per sq in
INR 587
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
28.7 × 35.7 in (73 × 91 cm)
Lot
49 · Os.Mum/19.06.15
1963
Public Auction HighPainting
Osian's · Indian Contemporary Art: Paintings, Drawings & SculptureMumbai · 09 February 2005

In 2005, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Animal & Rider (1963), offered in the Indian Contemporary Art: Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture by Osian's, which concluded on 09 February 2005 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹8,05,000 ($18,446). 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.

Munuswamy, L. (Artist). Animal & Rider, c.1963 | Painting
Selling price
INR8,05,000
Within estimate
Estimate
INR 7,00,000 – 8,75,000
Rate per sq in
INR 279
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
60 × 48 in (153 × 122 cm)
Lot
157 · Os.Mum/09.02.05
2002
Image 1/2
First Auction Appearance | BOOK.AUCPainting
Osian's · Masterpieces & Museum Quality Indian Modern & Contemporary PaintingsMumbai · 05 December 2002

On 05 December 2002, L. Munuswamy made their debut in the Indian public auction market when Untitled was presented as Lot 67 in Masterpieces & Museum Quality Indian Modern & Contemporary Paintings, conducted by Osian'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.

Munuswamy, L. (Artist). Untitled, mid 1970s | Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Lot
67 · Os.Mum/05.12.02

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