Sohan Qadri: Tantric Minimalism at Auction with Bruun Rasmussen

On 20 November, the Danish auction house Bruun Rasmussen presents ten works by the internationally acclaimed Indian artist, poet, and yogi Sohan Qadri (1932–2011). Having lived in Copenhagen for 30 years, Qadri is celebrated for his meditative, vividly coloured abstract works on paper, where spiritual inspiration meets modernist simplicity.

“This exceptional collection was born out of a personal meeting between two compatriots in Copenhagen – the Indian-born dentist Dr. Gulshan Suchdev and the artist Sohan Qadri. The works were acquired directly from the artist himself and today represent one of the most significant Qadri collections ever to appear at international auction,” says Niels Boe-Hauggaard, Head of Modern & Contemporary Art at Bruun Rasmussen.

From Punjab to Nordic Landscapes: Sohan Qadri’s Meditative Abstractions

Born in Punjab, India, Qadri was initiated into yoga and spiritual traditions at the age of seven by two masters – a tantric yogi and a Sufi. These early experiences laid the foundation for his lifelong devotion to spirituality and art. After extensive travels through Africa, Europe, and North America, he settled in Copenhagen, where he developed his distinctive abstract visual language.

Qadri worked with large sheets of paper that he carefully soaked, carved, and dyed, creating surfaces with an almost three-dimensional depth. The repeated incisions were an integral part of his meditation practice, and his process emerged from a desire for intuitive creation in harmony with his yoga discipline. He translated tantric symbolism into an abstract modernist idiom, using broad colour fields inspired by Scandinavian landscapes and Nordic light.

Sohan Qadri in Prominent Museums and Collections

Qadri’s works are represented in major institutions such as The British Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Rubin Museum of Art, Royal Ontario Museum, and the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, as well as in private collections including Cirque du Soleil, Heinrich Böll, and Robert Thurman.

“We are witnessing a growing interest in Sohan Qadri’s work internationally – and especially from India. As the country’s new middle class expands, many collectors are seeking to rediscover artists like Qadri, who brought Indian spirituality and aesthetics to a global stage,” says Niels Boe-Hauggaard.

On 20 November, Bruun Rasmussen offers this rare opportunity to acquire works by Sohan Qadri. The pieces will be on view from 13–18 November at the auction house’s location in Lyngby, Denmark.