A collection of over 20 paintings by the legendary artist has recently fetched $4.7m at auctions held at the prestigious Christie's and Sotheby's in New York. To mark his 96th birth anniversary today, here're his different strokes.
This may be your chance to own an artwork by Indian art maestro MF Husain, who passed away in June last year. An exhibition of 32 limited-edition serigraphs (a print made using a stencil process) by the veteran artist has been curated by Dhoomilal Contemporary Art Gallery at The Westin in
Gurgaon.
Sourced from Husain’s son, Delhi-based artist Shamshad Husain, each serigraph is numbered and has Husain’s signature on them. The serigraphs cost between
Rs. 40,000 and
Rs. 50,000. “This is our opportunity to pay MF Husain a tribute and celebrate his art,” says Priyank Jain, director of the gallery.
There are eight serigraphs each from four major series: Gajagamini, Ashtavinayak, Kerala and Arabic. Perfectly timed with Madhuri Dixit’s return to India, Gajagamini reflects the artist’s phase of obsession with the actor while depicting her with elephants in her lap.
Ashtavinayak series shows Husain’s fascination with elephants, Arabic series depict the lifestyle of Middle-East countries, and Kerala series shows its backwaters. “It is extremely nostalgic to pay a tribute to my father in this way in the New Year,” says Shamshad.
The artist has used golden, silver and off-white to paint a Mosque, Quran, rural life and interiors of a house in the Arabic culture. The use of blues and greens in the backwaters in the Kerala series gives it a soothing effect, while the red in Gajagamini gives it a bold and bright look. With dark brown frames to accentuate the colours, most serigraphs are 14X19 inches, while the Arabic series is in the 16X23 inches size. So, head to the exhibition to experience Husain’s brilliance.
Head hereWhat: Gajagamini Limited Edition of Serigraphs by MF Husain
Where: The Westin,1, MG Road, IFFCO Chowk, Gurgaon
When: January 9-31
Nearest Metro Station: IFFCO Chowk on the Yellow Line
What are serigraphs?
Serigraphy, also known as silk screening or screen-printing, is the process of producing an image, by pressing colour though a fabric stencil, comprising porous and non-porous sections. The serigraph may be produced onto a fabric such as a T-shirt or other material such as ceramic, paper, or wood.