TWO paintings by M F Husain will be offered at an auction for the first time at Sotheby’s next month.
The Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art sale in London on June 11 will also see a host of important works by artists such as V S Gaitonde, F N Souza and Jehangir Sabavala going under the hammer.
Offered for the first time, Husain’s exceptional 1961 oil on canvas Jhoola (estimated at £250,000/ $389850) depicts two women atop a swing (jhoola) which hangs from a tree. It was acquired directly from the artist in the 1960s.
A second work by Husain, Elephants One, estimated at £150,000/$233865 is being offered for sale for the first time since it was acquired by the owner’s husband in New York in 1964, where he was posted as a representative of the Indian delegation to the UN.
Other highlights include Gaitonde’s recently discovered masterpiece, the luminous Painting No 1, previously in the collection of the great international champion of Indian art John D Rockefeller III, as well as important works by Souza, Bhupen Khakhar and Sabavala.
The sale will also feature exciting works by contemporary Indian and Pakistani artists, including Deutsche Bank’s Contemporary Artist of the Year, Mohammad Imran Qureshi.
