Paintings

Renaissance, American pop: Man who restored the human form to art

Artist David Hockney, whose paintings of pools shimmering in the Los Angeles sunshine became icons of 20th-century art, died Thursday, his publicist said. He was 88. Hockney was born in the north of England but lived much of his life in Southern California, making its sun-drenched suburban views a major motif. Later in life he returned to Europe, finding renewed inspiration in the wooded hills of his native county of Yorkshire and the fields and trees of France's Normandy region. He became one of the UK's most treasured artists, his works selling for record prices at auction. Historian Simon Schama said that "the popularity and durability of David Hockney's art, through all his shape-shifts and restlessly inventive experiments, are really no mystery." "His work is admired - loved is not too strong a word - by the millions who, worldwide, flock to see it because it presupposes an expectation of pleasure," Schama wrote in an essay accompanying a 2025 Hockney exhibition in ...

Poonawalla-owned iconic Raja Ravi Varma painting to be exhibited in Mumbai

Record-shattering artwork will be up for public viewing at AstaGuru's two-day exhibition this weekend

Raja Ravi Varma's ₹167.2 cr-painting, and trajectory of Indian art market

Raja Ravi Varma's ₹167 crore auction sets a record, spotlighting rarity, national treasure status, and rising confidence of Indian art collectors

Cyrus Poonawalla buys Ravi Varma's 'Yashoda and Krishna' for record ₹167 cr

The price surpasses the previous record held by M F Husain's Untitled (Gram Yatra), which had sold for over ₹118 crore last year to Delhi-based collector and philanthropist Kiran Nadar

Bihar's Mithila painting struggles amid eroding local political backing

Despite global acclaim, Bihar's traditional painting cries for help amid eroding local political backing. Aashish Aryan reports from Darbhanga

FN Souza's 'Houses in Hampstead' goes for $7.5 million at London auction

Goan artist Francis Newton Souza led a record-breaking spree for Indian art at Sotheby's London, with Houses in Hampstead selling for $7.5 million and Emperor fetching $6.9 million

Gaitonde sells for Rs 67 cr, becomes India's second most expensive artwork

Saffronart's anniversary auction fetches Rs 355.77 crore, highest for South Asian art globally

Rare oil portrait of Mahatma Gandhi fetches over ₹1.67 cr at London auction

A rare 1931 oil portrait of Mahatma Gandhi by Clare Leighton sold in London for ₹1.67 crore and is thought to be the only oil portrait Gandhi sat for

Customs department confiscates Pakistani painting routed via London

Post Pahalgam attack, India has put a ban on all imports from Pakistan, directly or through any other route

Haku Shah's exhibition in Mumbai spotlights his underloved paintings

The Gandhian artist is best remembered for turning attention to Indian rural and indigenous arts

As Indian art gets famous, a great chance to diversify your portfolio

With record-breaking sales, Indian art is finding its voice - and value - both at home and abroad. This might be the best time to invest in some great artworks

MF Husain shatters record for modern Indian art, sells for Rs 118.7 crore

The painting, which unfolds across 13 vignettes depicting rural Indian life, fetches nearly twice the previous record

A walkout in the midst of a 'colourful' Budget, but the mood stayed bright

The Treasury Benches erupted with joy when the restructuring in income-tax slabs was announced, breaking spontaneously into chants of "Modi, Modi"

Ruling on FIR that MF Husain's paintings 'hurt religious sentiments' today

A Delhi court is likely to decide today whether or not to direct an FIR after a plea alleged two paintings of late artist and Padma awardee M F Husain hurt religious sentiments. Judicial magistrate first class Sahil Monga had on January 20 ordered the seizure of the paintings displayed at an art gallery in the national capital and reserved the order on FIR after hearing arguments. The paintings feature Hindu deities Hanuman and Ganesh. During the hearing on Wednesday, complainant and advocate Amita Sachdeva, said the most revered entities of Sanatan Dharma -- Hanuman and Ganesh -- were insulted in Husain's paintings. "This is obscenity. Depicted most revered deities in obscene manner a deliberate and malicious insult. Husain may be the greatest artist in the world, but he has no right to insult my deities," he argued. He claimed there was an advertisement and thousands of people saw the painting of "deities being ridiculed". "Prima facie case is made out for exhibiting such offen

Army chief justifies decision to replace 1971 war painting with new artwork

Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Monday justified replacing an iconic painting of Pakistan's surrender in the 1971 war at his office in Raisina Hills with a new artwork titled "Karam Kshetra". The painting on the 1971 war was removed from the Army chief's lounge in December and it was subsequently installed at the Manekshaw convention centre. The shifting of the historic painting had anguished many Army veterans and the decision came under some criticism. "If you see the golden history of India -- it has three chapters. It has the British era, the Mughal era and the era before that. If we wish to connect that and the Army's vision, symbolism becomes important," Gen. Dwivedi said. The new painting, "Karam Kshetra", meaning "Field of Deeds", is a creation of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Jacob of the 28 Madras regiment. It portrays the Army as a guardian of "Dharma" that protects the nation's values and reflects its evolution into a technologically-advanced integrated force, accord

Mixed media: Art made of everyday objects has a brush with market

It allows artists to express various themes without being confined to a single medium

Artist A Ramachandran dies at his residence from prolonged illness at 89

Renowned artist A Ramachandran died from prolonged illness at his residence here on Saturday. He was 89. "He was sick for quite some time now and passed away at 9 this morning from medical complications, his son Rahul told PTI. Details of the last rites will be confirmed later, he added. Born in 1935 in Attingal, Kerala, Ramachandran was known for his monumental canvases, colourful oils and watercolours. In 2002, he was elected a Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi and received the Padma Bhushan for outstanding service to the nation in 2005.

Prices rise to record highs as the scale of Indian art burgeons after Covid

When compared to the West and China, though, the value of Indian art is much lower

Amrita Sher-gil's painting becomes most expensive work by an Indian ever

The 1937 painting 'The Story Teller' fetched a whopping Rs 61.8 crore at Saffronart's 'Evening Sale: Modern Art' in New Delhi

Legendary artist, illustrator and sculptor Namboothiri passes away at 97

The famous illustrator and sculptor KM Vasudevan Namboothiri, from Kerala, passed away at the age of 97. PM Modi expressed his condolences on his demise