Maak confirms their spring auction, Unifying Eye: The Dayabandhu Collection

LONDON.-Maak confirms their Spring auction, Unifying Eye: The Dayabandhu Collection will go ahead with bids closing Thursday 14th May. In light of COVID-19, the auction will now be dedicated to the 200 or so pieces from this exceptional single collection. Maak has also announced a new initiative, two additional curated auctions scheduled for June, Form Over Function: The Abstract Vessel and July, Movements in Monochrome.

The Dayabandhu Collection
Even a seemingly modest door can reveal a collector’s personal paradise within. Unifying Eye brings together a considered selection from the remarkable personal collection of Michael Evans, also known by his Buddhist name Dayabandhu. The extensive collection, gathered over the last 30 or so years, extended to some 1200 objects that he cherished and lived with in his South London apartment. Nearing 200 pieces, the ceramics featured in the sale have been carefully selected by Maak to reflect Dayabandhu’s unifying eye, which brought a sense of calm cohesion to such an extensive collection as a whole.

Works in the sale include international masters of studio ceramics, bought at auction and from the most renowned ceramics galleries in the UK. Ceramic artists like Ewen Henderson, Gillian Lowndes, Gordon Baldwin, John Maltby and Claudi Casanovas are well represented. In parallel, there are many artists represented who have more recently emerged as leading lights in the field, discovered and supported by the collector at the very start of their career, such as Edmund de Waal, Akiko Hirai, Annie Turner and Sarah Flynn.

Few live with their collection with such intensity. At Dyabandhu’s South London home, every surface of every room was filled with pots. The eye didn’t know where to rest, every moment offering the potential to discover a new hidden treasure. “Considering the vastness of the collection, it is astonishing how harmonious his environment was. Nothing jarred, nothing shouted, there was a satisfying sense of rhythm and repetition of colours, textures and forms where the works conversed with each other respectfully. Brought together through Dyabandhu’s clear sense of inner purpose, the collection was united through his eye to become a harmonious entity,” Marijke Varrall-Jones, Founder and Director, Maak.

Summer Auction Initiative
In response to the changing circumstances brought about by COVID-19, Maak have had to cancel the gallery viewing for the May auction. However Maak is fortunate to have spent the last 10 or so years building a strong international following with their advanced online auction platform at its foundation. Therefore, Maak has decided to expand their auction calendar in celebration of their dedication to studio ceramics and the enthusiasm they share with their collectors through two additional sales offering a distinct focus.

Starting with a curated selection of works where the elementary vessel form has been elevated eyond its traditional utilitarian purpose, Form Over Function: The Abstract Vessel will be open for bidding, 22 – 25 June. The following month, Movements in Monochrome, 27 – 30 July will bring together a striking selection of works that explores the extensive variety of studio ceramics, united through shared tones of black and white.