Page 51 - Manifest September 2024

Lot No. 22

M F HUSAIN

1915-2011
UNTITLED
29.6 x 39 in (75.2 x 99.3 cm)
Oil on canvas
Circa 1970
Signed: Bottom Right
` 1,00,00,000 - 1,50,00,000 | $ 121,951 - 182,927
Exhibited: ‘Husain - The Eternal Master: Selected Works
from 1941 – 2011’ at www.theartstrust.com (online)
Published: ‘Husain’ by Tata Steel Publications Co. Ltd.
Bombay, 1988, pg. 85
‘Our Husain’ by Arjun Associates Private Limited,
2013, pg. 38
‘The Eternal Master: Selected Works
1941-2011’ by The Arts Trust, 2024, pg.158
Provenance: Property from a collection based in Mumbai

M.F. Husain’s fascination with horses began in
his youth, sparked by witnessing the tazias during
Muharram processions. This early obsession led him
to frequently sketch horse forms with chalk or coal
on his school’s walls and notebooks. Later in life,
Husain travelled to China, where he studied Song
dynasty horse pottery and met the artist Qi Baishi,
whose minimalist yet dynamic depictions of horses
became a significant source of inspiration for him.
Horses began to emerge as a recurring motif in
Husain’s work in the early 1950s, initially portrayed
as stoic and meditative figures. Over time, as he
continued to explore this theme, his representations
of horses grew increasingly animated and vibrant.
In this particular piece, Husain’s iconic horse is
paired with another of his signature motifs—a female
nude. The woman, depicted with a pale blue visage,
is seen wrangling the majestic beast. Her presence
exudes both power and elegance, mirroring the
dynamic energy of the horse itself.