Page 195 - Iconic Masters October2023

Lot No. 162
M F HUSAIN
1915-2011

UNTITLED
59.5 x 47.5 in (151.1 x 120.7 cm) The artist with the presented lot.
Acrylic on canvas
1987
Signed & Dated: Bottom Right

` 1,50,00,000 - 2,00,00,000 | $ 1,76,470 - 2,35,294

Provenance: Property from a collection based in
New Delhi.

Maqbool Fida Husain’s artistic expressions pulse with
a timeless identity, celebrating not only the sacred
relics of the past but also embodying the vitality of
contemporary life. His creations maintain an ongoing
narrative that remains relevant in the ever-changing
present. Born in 1915 in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, he
started his career by creating billboards for feature
films and crafting furniture designs and toys when he
first arrived in Bombay in 1937.

Throughout the 1940s, he dedicated himself to
establishing his artistic presence. Following a year of
study at the Sir JJ School of Art, he delved deeper
into unraveling the continuous thread of art as a
rebellious language that interwove its rich history with foremost modern artists, Maqbool Fida Husain earned
contemporary innovations. He observed the stark the moniker ‘Picasso of India.’ Husain’s deep-seated
contrast between the traditional Indian art norms, fascination with history, civilization, and heroic epics
particularly those of the Bengal school, which resisted drove him to break away from conventional academic
Western influences. This awareness of the need for a painting styles. However, he remained firmly rooted in
broad and open-minded perspective, as opposed to the rich artistic heritage and the vibrant rhythms of the
clinging to orthodox conventions, motivated him to expansive Indian landscape.
integrate elements of Mughal Art and ancient murals
alongside visual representations of the prevailing reality. Husain played a pivotal role in introducing India’s
independent art to a global audience, leaving an
Later on, Husain became a part of the newly established indelible mark. He stood at the forefront of India’s
Progressive Artists’ Group, formed in 1947 on the cusp of modernism movement, constantly shaping the very
India’s Independence. Being recognized as one of India’s essence of the country’s artistic evolution.