Art 360 |Fine, Folk, Outsider, & Ethnographic Art

One of the controversies that surrounded Indian painter M.F. Husain was his nude paintings of Hindu gods. In the Fine, Folk, Outsider, & Ethnographic Art Auction, presented by Material Culture, several pieces exemplify Husain’s embrace of the taboo. This includes his watercolor painting “Man and Yellow Woman with Snake in Pot”. A naked man and woman stand ankle-deep in water. The painting’s only two colors, a warm yellow and red, focus the viewer’s eyes on the naked woman and the implied intercourse. The Fine, Folk, Outsider, & Ethnographic Art auction’s lots bring together fine and decorative art from numerous countries and noteworthy artists such as Pablo Picasso.

Forbes referred to M.F. Hussain as the Picasso of India, a title that stuck for the rest of his life. It is fitting, then, that this auction also has several pieces by Pablo Picasso himself. Among which is “Le Couvent” or “The Convent”. The piece was produced in 1910, just as Picasso and Georges Braque were beginning the Cubist movement. “Le Couvent” displays the geometric qualities associated with Cubism. Bidders should note that the piece is unframed and not signed by Picasso. 

The piece with the highest estimated value in this auction is Ram Kumar’s untitled abstract composition. Kumar was a colleague of M.F. Hussain and was considered to be one of the first Indian abstract artists. The yellow and red colors are disrupted by the jagged brown lines in the middle of the composition. Those interested in any of these lots can register to bid and view each lot on Bidsquare.