Details
MAQBOOL FIDA HUSAIN (1913-2011)
Culture of the Streets
signed and numbered '34 Husain' (lower left of introduction sheet)
Kodak C-prints on paper
11 x 14 in. (27.9 x 35.6 cm.) each
Executed circa 1980s; number thirty-four from an edition of forty-five; thirty-five prints, including four bearing printed title, introduction and essay, in original leather and suede portfolio
Provenance
Formerly in the collection of Bal Chhabda
Thence by descent
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Literature
D. Herwitz, Husain: Drawing, Painting, Water Colour, Graphic, Sculpture, Architecture, Photography, Tapestry, Mumbai, 1988, pp. 159-166, 168 (nine prints from another edition illustrated)
Six Indian Painters, exhibition catalogue, London, 1982, pp. 13, 31, 33 (twelve prints from another edition illustrated)
Exhibited
London, Tate, Six Indian Painters, April-May 1982 (another edition)
Brought to you by
Nishad AvariSpecialist, Head of Department
A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.View condition report

Lot Essay

Maqbool Fida Husain was a master of all mediums including painting, drawing, printmaking, photography and filmmaking. Early in his career, the artist supported himself by painting billboards for Indian films, which later informed his iconography and style as well as the ambitious scale of some of his paintings. In the 1980s, these billboards also became a direct subject for Husain. Armed with a 35 mm SLR camera, Husain roamed the streets of Chennai to capture images that juxtaposed the surplus of the streets of a major Indian metropolis with the fantasies these billboards were selling. The result was a portfolio of thirty-two photographs offering Husain's unique vision of modern life in India. Showing these large scale cinema billboards with the pedestrian activities that took place beneath them highlighted stark contrasts between the rich and glamorous world of cinema and the urban landscape. These photographs capture just one aspect of the complex reality of a country steeped in tradition yet struggling to define a modern identity.

Related Articles

Sorry, we are unable to display this content. Please check your connection.

More from
South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art Online
Place your bid Condition report

A Christie's specialist may contact you to discuss this lot or to notify you if the condition changes prior to the sale.

I confirm that I have read this Important Notice regarding Condition Reports and agree to its terms. View Condition Report