Paris based auction house- Aguttes would put under the hammer a lot of furniture designed by Pierre Jeanneret, a close associate of city’s architect Le Corbusier.
The auction scheduled to be held on March 5 would have a study table, a pair of armchairs, a teak desk, set of 4 armchairs and two shutters—all items designed by Pierre Jeanneret.
The estimated auction price of study table has been put at 40000-50000 Euros (Rs 31 - 39 lakh), pairs of armchairs at 12000-15000 Euros (Rs 9.30-11.65 lakh), Teak desk at 15000-20000 Euros (Rs 11.65 to 15.54 lakh) and two shutters at 1500 -2000 Euros (Rs 1.16 -1.55 lakh).
Ajay Jagga, a city based lawyer and member of Heritage Protection Cell, Chandigarh demanded that the UT Administration should stop the upcoming auction by Paris based auction house of city’s heritage furniture.
Jagga said that Indian embassy in France may be requested to step in and attempt to stall the auction of heritage items. The matter should be probed how the heritage furniture reached beyond the territory of India even after instructions from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for the preservation of city’s heritage items.
He has also written to UT Adviser Manoj Parida, who is chairman of Heritage Protection Cell on the issue.
A meeting of the Heritage Protection Cell should be convened at the earliest to discuss the upcoming auction and to chalk out a plan to stop it, Jagga added.
Notably, members of Chandigarh Heritage Items Protection Cell have several times expressed apprehensions over the theft of city’s heritage items from various places here and easy flow of these items especially furniture to foreign markets.
In the past one decade, renowned foreign auction houses have shoveled in millions through the auction of Chandigarh’s heritage items. New York-based auction house—Phillips de Pury and Company, Chicago based auction house-Wright, Paris-based auction house—Artcurial, Paris-based auction house—Marseilles and many others have earned millions through the auction of heritage items belonging to the city.
The heritage items that have been going under the hammer abroad include tables, teak stools, arm chairs, lounge chairs, book cases, manholes, coffee tables, executive desks among others.
Last year, auction house—Wright (USA) had earned Rs 1.44 cr (Rs 1,44,05,119) through the auction of 14 items of heritage furniture, designed by Pierre Jeanneret.
According to the inventory prepared by the UT Administration in the year 2012, Chandigarh has ‘12793’ heritage items designed by city’s creator French Architect Le Corbusier or his team associated with the founding and planning of the city in 1950s and 60s. There are 190 different categories of the heritage items including drawings, murals, models, tapestries, chairs, tables, among others.