Works by Tagore, Raza to be on sale at Sotheby's London

Works of art by coveted Indian artists Rabindranath Tagore and S.H. Raza will go under the hammer at a London sale by global auction house Sothebys, on October 23.

The Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art will feature one of the paintings from Raza's "La Terre" or 'The Earth' (1980) series -- a landscape inspired during his decades spent in French cities.

Another Raza painting -- "Aaj" (1970) -- is one of the many that have Devanagari terms painted onto the canvas, along with his signature motifs and colours. It will also feature in the day-long sale.

The art of Tagore, one of India's most venerated cultural and literary icons, is known for the poet-artist's fascination with the human face.

On offer at the sale are his "Untitled (Head of a Woman)" (1939) and "Untitled (Rider in Night)" (1936).

"The painting was last exhibited at Tate Britain in 2015 and boasts of exceptional provenance, having once resided in the collection of Leonard Elmhirst, a friend and patron of the artist," a statement from Sotheby's said of the first work.

Another work on offer, "Dawn Chorus", by Indian artist Jitish Kallat, reflects upon the socio-economic effects of globalisation on the city of Mumbai. It foregrounds the disadvantaged and their daily grind, a result of living in the most populous city in India.

Other participating Indian artists are M.F. Husain, F.N. Souza, K.C.S. Paniker, Bhupen Khakhar, Ram Kumar, and Jamini Roy, among others.

--IANS

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