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Ramkinkar Baij — featured artwork

Introduction

Date of Birth
25 May 1906
Zodiac sign
Gemini
Date of Death
01 Aug 1980
Age
74
Place of Birth
Jugipada, Bankura, West Bengal, India
Place of Death
Calcutta
State Country of Birth
West Bengal, India

Exhibitions

  1. 1939

    1. Kala Bhavan Artists Exhibition, Banga Sahitya Parishad, Kolkata, India
  2. 1944

    1. Joint Exhibition with B.B. Mukherjee, Havell Hall, Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, India
    2. Joint Exhibition with Benodebehari Mukherjee, Massey Hall, New Delhi, India

      18 Oct 1944 to 21 Oct 1944

  3. 1946

    1. Exhibition of the works of Artists from 38 Countries, Modern Art Museum, Paris, France
  4. 1949

    1. All India Travelling Art Exhibition, Kolkata, India
    2. Exhibition of Paintings and Sculptures of four Artists on Nepal's Aranya Parbat and the Life on it, Kolkata, India
  5. 1950

    1. Fifth International Exhibition of Abstract Art, held in, Salon de la Realites Nouvelles, Paris, France
    2. Exhibition of Teachers and Students of Kala Bhavan, held in Santiniketan, India
  6. 1951

    1. Exhibition with Kolkata Group, Kolkata, India
    2. Salon de Mai, Paris, France
  7. 1958

    1. Special Exhibition on Mahatama Gandhi, Visva Bharati Central Library, Visva Bharati, Santiniketan, India

      02 Oct 1958 to 07 Oct 1958

  8. 1960

    1. On the Occasion of the students get-togather in November, a six day exhibition of Ramkinkar' work was held in Sinha Sadan
  9. 1961

    1. Paintings and Sculptures, Artist House, Kolkata Arts Council, Kolkata, India

      26 Sep 1961 to 01 Oct 1961

  10. 1967

    1. Paintings and Sculptures, Nandan, Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, India
    2. Gaganendranath Tagore birth Anniversary Exhibition, Nandan, Santiniketan, India
  11. 1970

    1. Joint Exhibition of Ramkinkar and Benodebehari Mukherjee, Nandan, Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, India

      19 Feb 1970 to 12 Mar 1970

  12. 1972

    1. Solo Exhibition, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, India
    2. Group Exhibition, Fiftieth Anniversary of Kala Bhavan, Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, India
  13. 1973

    1. On the occasion of his sixty seventh birthday Rabindra Bhavan organised an exhibition of Ramkinkar's Paintings, sculptures and etchings
  14. 1974

    1. On the occasion of Rabindra Saptaha Kala Bhavan organizes an exhibition of Ramkinkar's Paintings, Sculptures and sketches
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Chronicled Highlights 91930 – 1997

Ramkinkar Baij was born in 1906 in Jugipada, Bankura, West Bengal, India.

1930
Public Auction HighPainting
Asta Guru · Modern Indian ArtOnline · 22 March 2016

In 2016, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Santhal Couple (1930), offered in the Modern Indian Art by Asta Guru, which concluded on 22 March 2016 at Online, achieving a sale price of ₹1,80,91,793 ($271,889). 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.

Baij, Ramkinkar (Artist). Santhal Couple, c.1930 | Painting
Selling price
INR1,80,91,793
624% above high estimate
Estimate
INR 15,00,000 – 25,00,000
Rate per sq in
INR 8,122
Medium
Tempera on cloth
Dimensions
67.5 × 33 in (172 × 84 cm)
Signature
Signature present l.l.
Lot
10 · AG.Onl/22.03.16
1943
Literary ReferencePainting
Osian's · India Historical Lila: Auction of Indian Modern and Contemporary Paintings, Drawings and Graphic ArtMumbai · 20 October 2001

Ramkinkar’s watercolours stand a little apart from the rest of his oeuvre. They represent his immediate response to visual facts and are free from pre-concepts and after thoughts… They were done on the spot and with great speed and often came in a series recording a perception or experience close on its heels… In his watercolours an unregulated expression of his sensibility comes through, in them Ramkinkar can be said to be chasing the transient

Baij, Ramkinkar (Artist). Farmers Harvesting, c.1943 | Painting
Selling price
INR1,57,500
Within estimate
Estimate
INR 1,50,000 – 2,25,000
Rate per sq in
INR 1,890
Medium
Watercolour on paper
Dimensions
8.5 × 9.8 in (22 × 25 cm)
Lot
53 · Os.Mum/20.10.01
1943
Literary ReferencePainting
Osian's · Masterpieces & Museum Quality Indian Modern & Contemporary PaintingsMumbai · 05 December 2002

When Ramkinkar sat down with his sketch-pad before his landscape each common spot underwent a change. Each little detail came to throbbing life. He modest trees bristled up with a primitive vigour and the foliage took on a new sheen and vivacity. The sky played hide and seek with the barren earth, now zooming forward with a patch of blue, now going into hiding under a veil of grey. The seasonal nuances came out with great authenticity. In his company we saw nature in a new light

Baij, Ramkinkar (Artist). Nude, 1943 | Painting
Selling price
INR2,20,000
Below low estimate
Estimate
INR 3,00,000 – 4,00,000
Rate per sq in
INR 2,571
Medium
Watercolour on paper
Dimensions
11.4 × 7.5 in (29 × 19 cm)
Lot
131 · Os.Mum/05.12.02
1947
Public Auction HighPainting
Christie's · Twentieth Century Indian ArtLondon · 02 June 1998

In 1998, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Landscape In Spring (1947), offered in the Twentieth Century Indian Art by Christie's, which concluded on 02 June 1998 at London, achieving a sale price of ₹3,14,479 ($7,539). 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.

Baij, Ramkinkar (Artist). Landscape In Spring, 1947 | Painting
Selling price
INR3,14,479
2% above high estimate
Estimate
INR 2,39,278 – 3,07,643
Rate per sq in
INR 1,795
Medium
Watercolour on silk
Dimensions
10 × 17.5 in (25 × 45 cm)
Lot
17 · Ch.Lon/02.06.98
1947
Public Auction HighSculpture
Osian's · Creative India Series 1: BengalNew Delhi · 15 December 2011

In 2011, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Bust Of Ira Vakil (Nee Chaudhuri) (1947), offered in the Creative India Series 1: Bengal by Osian's, which concluded on 15 December 2011 at New Delhi, achieving a sale price of ₹28,80,000 ($53,102). 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.

Baij, Ramkinkar (Artist). Bust Of Ira Vakil (Nee Chaudhuri), 1947 | Sculpture
Selling price
INR28,80,000
Below low estimate
Estimate
INR 30,00,000 – 45,00,000
Medium
Plaster of Paris on cement pedestal
Dimensions
12.2 × 11 × 9.4 in (31 × 28 × 24 cm)
Lot
76 · Os.Del/15.12.11
1951
Literary ReferencePainting
Osian's · India: The Passionate Detachment: Curated Auctions of Indian Modern and Contemporary Art and BooksMumbai · 24 February 2001

Ramkinkar does a great number of landscapes with a rythmic spatial structure enlivened by judiciously laid washes and hatchings of brilliant colour in between; their varied densities and surface breaks accentuate the movement. Thematically they veer round the Santiniketan landscape, the Nepal panaroma, the Shillong lakes and hillsides; the rhythms vary with the location and the subject. The technique is, to an extent, modelled on Cezanne’s; the overall spatial statement is made with neutral washes, the spaces between are manipulated with colour layers of various stress and intensity forward or backward. But this, despite the linear drama, is prominent.

Baij, Ramkinkar (Artist). Parganas Landscape, early 1950s | Painting
Selling price
INR1,05,000
Below low estimate
Estimate
INR 2,50,000 – 3,25,000
Rate per sq in
INR 883
Medium
Watercolour on paper
Dimensions
9.1 × 13.1 in (23 × 33 cm)
Lot
119 · Os.Mum/24.02.01
1956
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 Threshing Series (1956), 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 ₹13,80,000 ($31,116). 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.

Baij, Ramkinkar (Artist). Threshing Series, c.1956 | Painting
Selling price
INR13,80,000
Within estimate
Estimate
INR 12,00,000 – 15,00,000
Rate per sq in
INR 1,525
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
33.5 × 27 in (85 × 69 cm)
Lot
54 · Os.Del/01.03.06
1960
Public Auction HighPainting
Christie's · South Asian ArtMumbai · 19 December 2013

In 2013, the artist achieved a new high in the auction market with the sale of Festive Eve (1960), offered in the South Asian Art by Christie's, which concluded on 19 December 2013 at Mumbai, achieving a sale price of ₹52,50,000 ($84,162). 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.

Baij, Ramkinkar (Artist). Festive Eve, c.1960 | Painting
Selling price
INR52,50,000
556% above high estimate
Estimate
INR 6,00,000 – 8,00,000
Rate per sq in
INR 5,774
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
32.8 × 27.8 in (83 × 71 cm)
Signature
Signed in Bengali l.r.
Lot
68 · Ch.Mum/19.12.13
1997
Image 1/2
First Auction Appearance | BOOK.AUCPainting
Sotheby's · The Indian SaleLondon · 08 May 1997

On 08 May 1997, made their debut in the Indian public auction market when A Monkey was presented as Lot in The Indian Sale, conducted by Sotheby's in London, UK. This auction marked the artist's first recorded appearance in the public auction market, establishing the earliest chapter of their auction history.

Baij, Ramkinkar (Artist). A Monkey, 1945 | Painting
Selling price
INR1,86,975
Within estimate
Estimate
INR 1,74,201 – 2,32,267
Rate per sq in
INR 935
Medium
Pen and ink and watercolour on paper
Dimensions
16.9 × 11.8 in (43 × 30 cm)
Lot
282 · So.Lon/08.05.97

Economics of Art

20 of 50

Research Centre

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Posts 2

  1. All Living Souls
    Tuli Research Centre for India Studies presents All Living Souls - Expressed in the Modern and Contemporary Fine & Popular Indian Arts Curated by Neville Tuli As part of launching the 16th Research Category for India Studies - "The Animal-Human-Nature-Continuum" we present a fascinating exhibition of modern and contemporary Indian fine and popular arts and their expression of the ideas and forms related to the dialogue between animals and humans, and the larger cosmic and spiritual thoughts which abide therein. Please visit the Exhibition and see the artworks by modern and contemporary masters such as Rabindranath Tagore, D.P. Roy Chowdhury, M.F. Husain, J. Swaminathan, J. Sultan Ali, Somnath Hore, Ganesh Pyne, Manjit Bawa, K. Laxma Goud, Krishna Reddy, Jyoti Bhatt, Rekha Rodwittiya, Amit Ambalal, among others, along with vintage and rare prints from the pioneering Indian chromolithographic presses such as Chitrashala, Ravi Varma, Calcutta Art Studio, Chore Bagan & Kansaripara.
  2. SWARAJ - Revisualising India's Political History
    "What does 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗷 truly mean? Is freedom achieved at a single historic moment or period, or must self-rule be continually imagined, questioned and renewed? India's journey towards Swaraj was shaped not by one voice or one path, but through reform and resistance, revolution and non-violence, political thought, public protest, art, print, photography, cinema and the collective will of its people. The Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) presents 𝗦𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗝: 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮'𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, a pioneering exhibition curated by Neville Tuli. Bringing together rare artworks, prints, photographs, books, film publicity art, political propaganda and visual-textual-audio archives, SWARAJ traces India's complex journey towards political self-rule and self-discovery. From early European coastal encounters, the Bengal Renaissance and the First War of Independence in 1857 to the rise of Bharat Mata, the Tiranga, Gandhiji's inspired satyagraha, civil disobedience and mass mobilisation, the exhibition explores how the idea of India was envisioned, contested and transformed. It journeys through revolutionary movements and non-violence, subaltern uprisings, the Partition, the Constitution, the integration of the Princely States, the Emergency, wars, civic dissent and people's protests. It also foregrounds the vital role of artists, photographers, publishers, newspapers, journals, cartoons and cinema in recording and shaping the nation's political consciousness. SWARAJ invites us to encounter history not as something distant or settled, but as a daily living inheritance that continues to influence who we are and how we understand freedom, identity, and ourselves today. Watch the video for a glimpse into this expansive visual journey, and follow the exhibition as it revisualises India's political history through art, image, text and sound.

Calendar 2

  1. SWARAJ - Revisualising India's Political History
    ArchivedOpening PreviewProject 82
    SWARAJ - Revisualising India's Political History
    An Exhibition of Modern & Contemporary Fine & Popular Arts, Photography, Film Memorabilia and Visual-Textual-Audio Archive
    12th August 2026
    6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
    Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi,
    The Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) announces its seventh exhibition. “Swaraj – Revisualising India's Political History” -- An exhibition of Modern and Contemporary Fine and Popular Arts, Photography, Film Memorabilia and Visual-Textual-Audio Archives. Swaraj will open at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 12 August 2026 at the Visual Arts Gallery and will remain open till 7 p.m. Sunday, 16 August 2026. Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) presents SWARAJ | Revisualising India's Political History, a pioneering inter-disciplinary offline-online exhibition conceptualised and curated by Neville Tuli with Team T.R.I.S.. SWARAJ explores India's journey towards political self-rule and self-discovery through a remarkable collection of rare modern and contemporary fine and popular arts, albums, photographs, books, prints, propaganda, cartoons, film publicity artworks and other "text-visual-audio" archives contextualised within a clear historical framework, which defines T.R.I.S.' pedagogic approach to learning. The Exhibition will be of particular interest to students and scholars of India & Cultural Studies, and India's political and modern histories as well as those interested in the passage of events and ideas from the mid-1850s leading up to the turn of the 21st century. Unique to the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies is the richness of visual material that not only exhorts a deeper understanding of the art and archival materials on display but also brings alive the multi-layered narratives of the exhibition and naturally India's journey in being ad searching for herself.
    Read More →
    +16 more
  2. SWARAJ - Revisualising India's Political History
    ArchivedExhibitionProject 81
    SWARAJ - Revisualising India's Political History
    An Exhibition of Modern & Contemporary Fine & Popular Arts, Photography, Film Memorabilia and Visual-Textual-Audio Archive
    12th - 19th August 2026
    10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
    Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi,
    19
    The Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) announces its seventh exhibition. “Swaraj – Revisualising India's Political History” -- An exhibition of Modern and Contemporary Fine and Popular Arts, Photography, Film Memorabilia and Visual-Textual-Audio Archives. Swaraj will open at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 12 August 2026 at the Visual Arts Gallery and will remain open till 7 p.m. Sunday, 16 August 2026. Tuli Research Centre for India Studies (T.R.I.S.) presents SWARAJ | Revisualising India's Political History, a pioneering inter-disciplinary offline-online exhibition conceptualised and curated by Neville Tuli with Team T.R.I.S.. SWARAJ explores India's journey towards political self-rule and self-discovery through a remarkable collection of rare modern and contemporary fine and popular arts, albums, photographs, books, prints, propaganda, cartoons, film publicity artworks and other "text-visual-audio" archives contextualised within a clear historical framework, which defines T.R.I.S.' pedagogic approach to learning. The Exhibition will be of particular interest to students and scholars of India & Cultural Studies, and India's political and modern histories as well as those interested in the passage of events and ideas from the mid-1850s leading up to the turn of the 21st century. Unique to the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies is the richness of visual material that not only exhorts a deeper understanding of the art and archival materials on display but also brings alive the multi-layered narratives of the exhibition and naturally India's journey in being ad searching for herself.
    Read More →
    +16 more

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