Protest: Indian Art at Sotheby’s sale to include M F Husain paintings

Bhadrapad Shuddha Trutiya/Chaturthi, Kaliyug Varsha 5111

A rare piece of work by M.F. Husain’s "Bewildered Brown" sourced from a private Indian collector will be the highlights of Sotheby’s sale of Indian art in New York from 12 September to 17 September 2009.

Why we must stop Denigration of Hindu Deities?

Appeal to Devout Hindus

O Hindus, it is our duty towards Hindu Dharma to stop Art Show displaying Husain’s paintings. Husain has drawn nude paintings of our Hindu Deities, to whom Billions of Hindus worship everyday!

O Hindus, unitedly we can stop Denigration of our Deities as our duty towards Hindu Dharma :

1. Send Protest emails to the following address to exclude anti-Hindu painter MF Husain’s  picture from Gallery 
2. Spread this news in your group of friends, relatives, communities
3. Join HJS and unitedly we can serve Dharma.

Contact Details for Protest Zara Porter Hill Director Head of the Indian and Southeast Asian Department Tel: +44 783 164 5454  | Tel: + 1 212 606 7304 [email protected] Anuradha Ghosh-Mazumdar Deputy Director Indian and Southeast Asian Art Tel: +1 212 894 1102 Fax: +1 212 894 1367 [email protected] Laura Kovacs Administrator Indian and Southeast Asian Art Tel: +1 212 606 7304 Fax: +1 212 894 1367 [email protected] OFFICE INFORMATION where Exhibition will take place from 12 September to 17 September  1334 York Avenue at 72nd St New York 10021 Tel: +1 212 606 7000 Fax: +1 212 606 7107

Detailed News of Exhibition

New Delhi: A rare piece of work by Tyeb Mehta, M.F. Husain’s "Bewildered Brown" and a range of miniature Jataka paintings sourced from a private Indian collector will be the highlights of Sotheby’s sale of Indian art in New York Sep 17.

"Behind Me Desolation" by Tyeb Mehta, one of India’s leading modern artists, who died in February, is estimated at $350,000 while "Bewildered Brown" has a hammer price of $120,000, said a press statement issued by Sotheby’s Thursday.

The miniatures have been culled from the collection of Aananda K. Coomaraswamy, an authority on Indian and southeast Asian art. Coomaraswamy worked in Sri lanka, India and finally America, where he set up the first ever department of Indian art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

A collector of repute, he built a collection of rare Mughal, Rajput and Pahari paintings.

"Behind Me Desolation" was previously sold in an auction of Indian paintings in June 1995, Sotheby’s first-ever stand-alone sale of contemporary Indian art.

According to sources at Sotheby’s, it is one of Mehta’s typical 1970 works that was characterised by monumental drawings with a sculptural feel.

The painting is dominated by a central figure that can be seen as an expression of Mehta’s anguish at the trauma and dislocation of the individual in contemporary society. Mehta was influenced by the partition of the country.

Other highlights include an untitled work by V.S. Gaitonde, expected to fetch $600,000 and "Brown" by Husain.

Husain’s canvas, one of eight works by the artist in the sale, depicts a group of horses in a composition that captures the energy and power of the animals.

"Horses play an important part in Husain’s art. They are often shown riderless and staring into the distance at an unseen audience. On the far side of this painting, a horse is seen leaving the group which is dominated by a grey stallion creating a subtle tension in the work," said Zara Porter-Hill, head of the Indian Art at Sotheby’s.

Gaitonde’s work has dense layers with a roller and palette knife instead of a paint brush to give it a stripped abstract feel. An untitled canvas of a joker by F.N. Souza is also another important art work estimated at $150,000.

"Following the success of our June sale of Indian art in London which surpassed expectations we have assembled a tightly edited sale with an emphasis on quality works at reasonable estimates," Porter-Hill said.

The highlight of the Jataka series is an illustration, "The Sixth Dream of King Pesandi", painted between 1780 and 1790.

A selection of cutting-edge contemporary art from Pakistan, including a sculpture by young Pakistani artist Adeela Suleman whose work is influenced by the complex social and situation in the country, will also go under the hammer.

Source: Samay Live

Successful Protest campaigns by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti

1. Mumbai: Hussain’s paintings withdrawn from exhibition by ‘Traditional art’
2. Art work of M.F. Hussain removed from an exhibition
3. Objectionable part in the Drama praising M.F. Hussain deleted!
4. NDTV changed the decision to give Award to Hussain

Read More about Successful Campaigns

Read Further

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	MF Hussain campaign HJS protested against nude painting of Bharatmata (Mother India) by MF Hussain. The painting was auctioned publically by Nafisa Ali for 80 Lakhs resulting in huge protests all over India. Read more