Grace Harlow

Mearto specialist

The appraised work appears to be an oil on canvas painting executed by Indian artist Maqbool Fida (M.F.) Husain (1913-2011). The painting depicts two stylized nude figures, one sitting with the other kneeling nearby in an ambiguous setting. The artist worked in a variety of subject matter, but his style was largely based on Cubism, developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in the early 20th century. Husain was born in Pandharpuer and studied calligraphy before moving to Mumbai where he painted movie posters and designed toys. It wasn't until 1953 that the artist went to Europe and finally saw the works of Picasso and other Modernists. He was exiled in 2006 by the Indian government due largely to his perceived defamation of Hindu culture and spent his remaining life in London, dying in 2011. The estimate provided is based on comparables recently offered and sold at auction. The appraised work's size, composition, medium and condition (based on images provided), as well as the artist's current auction market were taken into consideration when determining the estimate. In many cases, pricing for similar examples available on the primary (retail) market vary, and are often higher than secondary (auction) market examples.