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lot 10

lot 10

Maqbool Fida Husain

Untitled (Horse)

acrylic on canvas board
18 x 14 in. (45.7 x 35.6 cm.)
painted in 2003

Bought-In

Estimate: US$ 70,000 - 100,000

Lot Closed

Lot Details

Signed and dated 'Husain 003' (lower right)

PROVENANCE
Private collection, Dubai

LOT ESSAY
The equine figure is an integral part of M.F. Husain's huge body of work, his fixation with the subject started as a young boy watching the tazias on the annual Muharram procession and would continue throughout his entire career; amalgamating various influences into a composite form to come up with a style that is uniquely his own. Arguably one of his most important motifs, the horses have become a pivotal part of Husain's oeuvre since he first embarked on the subject in 1951. Whether it be a solitary monumental creature or in a group in a carefully composed picture, Husain's horses evoke a multitude of meanings and serves as an archetype that represents a plethora of cultural and art historical influences that have shaped and informed his unique artistic vocabulary.

"Altogether, the horse paintings of Husain done over several decades represent some of his finest works and demonstrate the power of his draftsmanship, his deep understanding of the myths associated with the horse in the multi-faceted Indian artistic and cultural tradition, and his talent to invest them with a new contemporary meaning[...] (K. Bikram Singh, Maqbool Fida Husain, New Delhi, 2008, p. 169 & 192)

Maqbool Fida Husain

(1915 - 2011)
Born in Pandharpur, Maharashtra, in 1915, Husain moved to Mumbai in 1937 where he sustained himself by painting cinema hoardings and designing furniture and toys. A self-taught artist, Husain was invited to join the Progressive Artists Group in 1947 by F.N. Souza after his first public exhibition of paintings. Most recently, his work has been featured in solo shows including ‘M.F. Husain: Early Masterpieces 1950s-1970s at the David Winton Bell Gallery, Providence in 2010; ‘Epic India’ at the peabody Essex Museum, Salem, in 2006-07; and ‘Early Masterpieces 1950-70s, at Asia House Gallery, London, in 2006. Husain was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, India’s Upper House of Parliament in 1986-92, during which he pictorially recorded its events, which were then published in 1994. The Government of India awarded him with a Padma Shri in 1966, a Padma Bhushan in 1973 and Padma Vibhushan in 1991, all high civilian honours. In 1971, Husain was invited to exhibit as a special invitee with Pablo Picasso at the Sao Paulo Biennale, Brazil. In 2004, he was awarded the Lalit Kala Ratna by the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. Husian passed away in London in 2011.