Maqbool Fida Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain
1915 - 2011
One of the most universally acclaimed Indian artists of the twentieth century, Maqbool Fida Husain was both celebrated and controversial for his narrative paintings that portrayed distinctly Indian themes with a modern flare. Husain was born in 1915 in the central Indian state of Maharashtra, and although he spent a brief period at Indore Art College, he was predominantly a self-taught artist and film-maker. He began his career by painting Bollywood movie billboards in Mumbai.
His artistic career truly started after winning an award at the annual exhibition of the Bombay Art Society, which resulted in an invitation to become a member of the Progressive Artists Group (1947 – 1956). By 1955 he was already one of India’s leading artists; in 1968 he won a Golden Bear at the Berlin international film festival for his film Through the Eyes of a Painter; and in 1971 his work showed alongside Pablo Picasso’s at the Bienal de São Paulo. Husain’s references to Cubism in his oil paintings led to him being known as the Picasso of India.
For most of Husain’s life, his vibrant paintings depicting Indian subject matter - including religious and historic figures and events - were praised as being great works of art. He was frequently honoured in India, and received multiple doctorates and many government issued awards. In 1986 he became a member of Indian parliament. However, beginning in the 1990s, the Muslim artist’s sexually suggestive portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses triggered a violent reaction towards him from Hindu nationalist groups, resulting in many lawsuits as well as tensions between Hindus and Muslims. This caused him to go into self-imposed exile from the country he knew and loved, and he spent his remaining years in Dubai and London.
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The Other Self by Maqbool Fida Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain
The Other Self
36 3/4 x 26 1/4 in 93.3 x 66.7 cm
circa 1970
oil on canvas on board
Estimate: $200,000 - $300,000 CDN
Sold for: $241,250 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2017 - 1st Session on Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Nauch Girl by Maqbool Fida Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain
Nauch Girl
38 x 27 in 96.5 x 68.6 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $70,000 - $90,000 CDN
Sold for: $80,500 CDN (premium included)
October 2007 - 1st Session on Saturday, October 27, 2007
Wild Stallion by Maqbool Fida Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain
Wild Stallion
40 x 26 in 101.6 x 66 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $50,000 - $70,000 CDN
Sold for: $64,350 CDN (premium included)
April 2010 - 1st Session on Thursday, April 29, 2010
Horse, Rider and Nude by Maqbool Fida Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain
Horse, Rider and Nude
32 x 24 in 81.3 x 61 cm
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CDN
Sold for: $46,000 CDN (premium included)
October 2007 - 1st Session on Saturday, October 27, 2007
Mother in White Sari by Maqbool Fida Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain
Mother in White Sari
40 x 19 in 101.6 x 48.3 cm
circa 1982
acrylic on canvas
Estimate: $30,000 - $40,000 CDN
Sold for: $46,000 CDN (premium included)
October 2004 on Saturday, October 30, 2004
Untitled by Maqbool Fida Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain
Untitled
29 7/8 x 22 in 75.9 x 55.9 cm
watercolour and ink on paper
Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000 CDN
Sold for: $16,380 CDN (premium included)
April 2010 - 1st Session on Thursday, April 29, 2010
Mother and Child, A Tribute to Mother Teresa, The Great Humanist of our Time by Maqbool Fida Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain
Mother and Child, A Tribute to Mother Teresa, The Great Humanist of our Time
22 x 17 in 55.9 x 43.2 cm
lithograph
Estimate: $6,000 - $9,000 CDN
Sold for: $11,500 CDN (premium included)
October 2006 - 3rd Session on Saturday, October 28, 2006
Mother and Child, A Tribute to Mother Teresa, The Great Humanist of our Time by Maqbool Fida Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain
Mother and Child, A Tribute to Mother Teresa, The Great Humanist of our Time
22 x 17 in 55.9 x 43.2 cm
photolithograph
Estimate: $2,500 - $3,500 CDN
Sold for: $5,175 CDN (premium included)
April 2007 2nd Session on Saturday, April 28, 2007
Untitled - Figures in Meditation by Maqbool Fida Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain
Untitled - Figures in Meditation
22 1/8 x 29 7/8 in 56.2 x 75.9 cm
colour silkscreen
Estimate: $1,500 - $2,500 CDN
Sold for: $1,725 CDN (premium included)
April 2007 2nd Session on Saturday, April 28, 2007
Horses by Maqbool Fida Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain
Horses
25 x 37 in 63.5 x 94 cm
lithograph
Estimate: $1,500 - $2,000 CDN
Sold for: $1,725 CDN (premium included)
October 2006 - 3rd Session on Saturday, October 28, 2006