Voices by MF Husain

AstaGuru’s online auction achieved a new world record for Maqbool Fida Husain with ‘Voices’, 1958 – his third most important painting that was presented in an auction for the very first time – selling at $2.5 million.

The auction celebrated the legacy of India’s most celebrated modernist through a remarkable collection of the artist’s most iconic paintings created during an illustrious career. The auction achieved a new world record for Maqbool Fida Husain with ‘Voices’, 1958 – his third most important painting that was presented in an auction for the very first time – selling at INR 18,47,47,500 (USD 2,565,938). This superlative composition (lot 14) was created during an extremely significant phase in the artist’s career during the late 1950s, when he had become an artist of international repute, and had amassed global exposure, with regards to his art practice and philosophy. The work is his largest creation from the 1950s. AstaGuru’s ‘Husain’ auction set a new benchmark and trend for the Indian art auction market by achieving the highest total realized for a solo artist auction in India, signalling the steady demand for high-quality works by the masters.

AstaGuru was conceptualized in the year 2008 with the sole purpose of creating a safe and secure platform to conduct online auctions for Indian, Contemporary & Modern Art. With the world melting into one harmonious digital cosmos, AstaGuru has strived to successfully bridge the gap between prospective buyers and consignors by transcending the limitations of live auctions.

Commenting on the results, Tushar Sethi, CEO, AstaGuru, said, “Our team successfully put together an extraordinary catalog for “Husain” and we are extremely thrilled with the encouraging response that the auction garnered. The world record price achieved by ‘Voices’ and the overall results are highly indicative of a resilient market for modern Indian art.”

The second highest price in the auction was achieved by lot 23, ‘Untitled (Bhagavad Gita)’. The hammer price for the acrylic on cloth creation from the year 1994 was INR 4,34,70,000 (USD 603,750). The work spanned 7.75 feet in height and 19.75 feet in length and featured his renowned ‘Horse’ motif. The artist drew inspiration from the teachings that Krishna imparted. The third and fourth highest achievers were again paintings with a religious context, those being lot 20 titled ‘Last Supper’ at INR 3,26,02,500 (USD 452,812) & lot 19 titled ‘Karbala’ at INR 3,23,63,310 (USD 449,490)

Apart from the paintings the auction also showcased Husain’s mastery across several other mediums including toys, jewelry and tapestry. Since MF Husain started his journey in the city of dreams by making and designing toys, the first and second lots presented in the catalog were his toy creations. Lot 2, titled ‘Apsaras’ circa 1950s was sold for INR. 8,94,840 (USD 12,428). The artist’s rare jewelry pieces also inspired demand, lot 27, A Set of Three 22k Gold Plaques{A) Horse, B) Krishna, C) Ganesha} was sold for INR 21,09,986 (USD 29,304). Another interesting set of creations were the tapestry lots, for instance, lot 8, titled ‘Gauri Maiya’ was executed in Tussar silk, circa 1980 and was sold for a hammer price of INR 15,85,264 (USD 22,017).