Kolkata: A famous painting of the Calcutta Series of M F Husain, done in the city in 1990, will be auctioned in Mumbai. This is the first time that this painting will come under the hammer.
The Calcutta Series is a famous collection of paintings that Husain had done in tribute to the city in its tercentenary year. He tried to capture not only glimpses from the daily life of the city but also the history and culture associated with it.
The painting in question shows a slice of ‘babudom’ in yesteryear Kolkata, where a rich man is seen smoking an elaborate ‘gorgora’ (hookah) sitting on his perch with his human carriers carrying him on their heads.
This painting is 44×60 inches in size and is an acrylic on canvas. It was part of the entire series that was exhibited in Calcutta 300 – From Job Charnock’s Kolkata to Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar in 1990 when the tercentenary celebrations of the city was organised. “I remember having interacted with him when he was bringing these brightly coloured large canvases to life one after the other. He loved to roam about on the streets and read deeply about the city’s past. People like Rammohun Roy and Tagore inspired him,” said Jogen Chowdhury, who has been to many exhibitions of Husain’s paintings.
The auction has been organised on June 25 by AstaGuru and the base price has been kept at Rs 20-30 lakhs.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/mf-husains-calcutta-series-painting-to-go-under-hammer/articleshow/83469368.cms
