Collectors of modern Indian art will soon have the exceptional opportunity to acquire a rare work by one of India's pioneering female sculptors, Pilloo Pochkhanawala. The abstract aluminum alloy sculpture, titled Germination, will be presented by Richard Stedman Estate Services LLC of Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida, during their online auction on 17 May.
The story of Germination is as compelling as the sculpture itself. In 1984, an American family from New Hampshire visited Gallery Chemould in Bombay during Pochkhanawala's retrospective exhibition. There, they purchased exhibit number 36—an expressive embodiment of the artist's bold experimentation with aluminum alloy. Measuring 22.25 x 12 x 12 inches and mounted on a stone plinth, the sculpture is signed with Pochkhanawala's artist insignia, and it has remained in the family’s collection ever since. Recently rediscovered in the family’s Florida residence by Richard Stedman Estate Services, it now comes to market for the first time.
Pilloo Pochkhanawala (1923–1986) is celebrated as one of the first women sculptors in India, known for her groundbreaking work with industrial materials like aluminum. Emerging as part of the modernist wave in Indian sculpture, she moved away from traditional forms to explore abstraction and raw, evocative designs. Her contributions to public art and theatre set her apart in India's artistic landscape, and she was widely recognised with awards such as the silver medal from the All India Sculptors' Association and the Bombay Art Society in 1954, as well as prizes at the Maharashtra State Art Exhibition and the Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi.
Pochkhanawala’s legacy extends beyond her sculptures; she was a trailblazer for women in Indian art, consistently pushing the boundaries of form and material. Though she passed away in 1986 due to cancer, her work has seen a revival in recent years, with pieces appearing in major exhibitions and achieving significant sales. Notably, her Untitled wooden sculpture sold for ₹77.9 lakh (about $100,000) at Sotheby’s in 2020, marking the highest price ever achieved for her work.
The auction house has set a conservative estate estimate for Germination at $10,000–$20,000, with a starting bid of $5,000 and no reserve. RV Stedman, the director of Richard Stedman Estate Services, noted optimism that the piece would exceed these expectations, reflecting broader market trends for Pochkhanawala’s work.
Accompanying the sculpture is a retrospective exhibition catalogue from Gallery Chemould’s 1984 showcase in Bombay, where Germination is highlighted as exhibit number 36. Also included is correspondence detailing the original acquisition process, complete with banking and export information, as well as documentation that the purchase was made on Valentine’s Day – a possible nod to its significance within the family.
Germination will head to auction as part of the Modern Art, World Antiques, Native American Art & Jewellery sale on 17 May, featuring almost 500 lots. Other highlights include two large Native American semiabstract landscapes by B.C. Nowlin, a number of Chinese jade works, and a studio pottery vase by Claude Conover.
