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lot 18

lot 18

Francis Newton Souza

Untitled

chemical alterations on paper
11.25 x 8.25 in. (28.5 x 20.8 cm.)
executed in 1970

Bought-In

Estimate: US$ 8,000 - 12,000

Lot Closed

Lot Details

Signed and dated 'Souza 1970' (upper right)

PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist

PUBLISHED
Vinod Bhardwaj, Francis Newton Souza: Dhoomimal Gallery Collection, Dhoomimal Gallery, New Delhi, p. 162 (illustrated)

Souza produced numerous works based on the religious, mainly Catholic themes. His fascination included ecclesiastical vestments and church motifs, as reflected in some of his still-lifes, such as the current lot. Western critics and observers alike attached great importance to his strict Catholic upbringing, which impacted his largely anti-clerical and irreverent works with regards to the church. As seen here, Souza would inject the folkloric images and decorations found in the ubiquitous domestic shrines of Goan homes in his work.

Francis Newton Souza

(1924 - 2002)
Born in 1924 in Saligao, Goa, Souza was expelled from the Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, in 1942 for taking part in the ‘Quit India’ freedom movement. He went on to found the Progressive Artist’s Group in 1948, before leaving for London a year later. In 1955 Souza held a one-man show at Gallery One in London and also had his autobiographical essay ‘Nirvana of a Maggot’ published. He was awarded the John Moore Prize at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool in 1957 and received an Italian Government Scholarship in 1960. In 1959 a collection of his autobiographical essays, ‘Words and Lines’, was published, and in 1962 a monograph on his work by Edwin Mullins was published as well. In 1967 Souza migrated to New York where he received the Guggenheim International Award. Two retrospectives of his work were organized by Art Heritage, New Delhi, in 1986 and 1996. Souza also participated in a work-live programme in Los Angeles, hosted by Saffronart in 2001. Souza passed away in Mumbai 2002. Some important posthumous exhibition of his work include, ‘F.N. Souza’ at Saffronart and Grosvenor Gallery, New York, in 2008; ‘F.N. Souza: Religion & Erotica’ at Tate Britain, London, in 2005-06; ‘Self-Portrait: Renaissance to Contemporary’ at the National Portrait Gallery, London, in 2005; and ‘Francis Newton Souza’ at Saffronart and Grosvenor Gallery, New York and London, in 2005.