Husain, Gaitonde works up for grabs

New Delhi, August 29 

An artwork by Vasudeo S Gaitonde from the peak of his career, a painting by Francis Newton Souza and a canvas by Ganesh Pyne is set to come up for auction on October 18 at Sotheby's London sale.

MF Husain’s 1964 work ‘Hajera’ (estimate: 50,000-70,000 pounds) depicting two women, illuminated in varying hues against monochromatic background, would also go under the hammer. The palette in Hajera reveals the artist's love for Indian miniatures, particularly Basholi, Malwa and Mewar schools.

“This work is a profound example of Husain’s unique fusion of post-Independence and post-Impressionist painting: powerfully evocative of classic Indian plastic traditions and distinctly Modern at the same time,” auctioneers said. The 1973 work (estimated 900,000-1,400,000 pounds) by Nagpur-born Gaitonde, regarded as one of India’s foremost abstract painters, has been done at the peak of his career while the Pyne canvas has been sourced from a Swiss collection. 

A 1979 work by Jagdish Swaminathan (60,000-80,000 pounds) comes to market from a Brazilian collection. It presents a richly saturated palette that demonstrates Swaminathan’s interest in Pahari and Basholi miniatures. The painting by Souza (estimate: 400,000-600,000 pounds) titled ‘Deposition of Christ’ is the ‘cover lot’ of the auction. Other highlights of the auction include an Untitled (Under the Fountain), 1969 work (estimated at 40,000-60,000 pounds) by Ganesh Pyne. — PTI