A long-lost masterpiece on canvas by the renowned Indian painter MA Husain has redefined the pinnacle of achievement in Indian art. His work, untitled (Gram Yatra), is a sprawling 14-foot mural that has just set a new auction record for Indian art at $13.8m (£10.6m) at Christie’s in New York. This sale eclipsed the prior Indian record of $7.4m (£5.7m) set by Amrita Sher-Gil’s The Story Teller in 2023.
Few would have predicted that this monumental piece of art once spent nearly half a century largely overlooked, adorning the walls of a Norwegian hospital. Pegged as one of the torchbearers of Indian modernism, Husain was known for his distinctive style that interwove Indian motifs with modernist influences. Perhaps his most celebrated aspect is his portrayal of India’s deities, which sparked controversy and eventually led him to leave India in 2006 due to death threats.
Husain created Gram Yatra in 1954, at a time when his career as a modernist icon was yet to unfold. The mural comprises 13 vibrant vignettes that are evocative of Indian life in the villages – simple scenes of everyday existence that resonate with folk traditions and modernist elements.
Each vignette of Gram Yatra, sharing the same canvas, captures a unique moment – from the quietude of a cooking scene to the liveliness of a cart ride. A poignant scene depicts a farmer extending his arm towards a neighboring frame, symbolically holding the essence of Indian society in his grasp. The painting stands as a composite of the earthy tones and the calligraphic strokes Husain adopted from his encounters with Chinese art, especially after his 1952 visit.
In the aftermath of India’s independence, Husain sought inspiration from the country’s villages rather than the center of Western art. This journey seems to have imbued him with an intimate understanding of India’s cultural fabric, influencing how the nation perceived itself, according to Akhilesh, the painter’s biographer.
The fusion of Husain’s original cubist style and the tale conveyed by the vivid 13 panels on display in Oslo University Hospital for decades, adds an air of mystique to the painting. Notably acquired in 1954 by Ukrainian doctor Leon Elias Volodarsky for a mere $295, the piece’s discovery and subsequent global exhibitions underscore a shift in the valuation of Indian art. The sale not only highlights Husain’s profound influence on modern South Asian art but also positions Indian art on the global stage as a significant financial asset, as Ashish Anand of Delhi Art Gallery remarked.
The journey of Husain’s painting from its modest beginnings to setting a record at the auction speaks to a broader appreciation and long-overdue recognition of Indian art on an international level.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyvedl95l79o
