Auction Highlights

Manjari Sihare-Sutin on Maqbool Fida Husain’s Bulls

John the Baptist An exceptional example of Francis Newton Souza’s inimitable and ferocious painting style, this lot illustrates his most defining theme, the Catholic faith, which he revered and denounced in equal measure.

Francis Newton Souza

Francis Newton Souza, John the Baptist

This auction highlights works from across the breadth of South Asia, expanding beyond the widely-renowned Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group, Baroda Group and Bengal Schools, to comprise artists with diverse styles and backgrounds.

Mapping South Asian Art

In the same year as the landmark retrospective of Raza's work at Centre Pompidou, Paris, Sotheby’s is honored to offer four exceptional early works by this modern master. From 1946 through to 1957, these lots illustrate the foundations of his idiosyncratic practice, and key shifts in his style and medium.

A landmark year for Sayed Haider Raza

A spotlight on an innovative and boundary-breaking neo-miniaturist.

Bashir Ahmad

Sotheby’s is proud to feature a wide variety of Neo-Tantra artists, many of them unsung heroes in the field. This year’s auction presents a unique opportunity to acquire new and innovative approaches to the abstract and the spiritual in South Asian art.

Neo-Tantra: Making the Intangible Tangible

New York

Live Auction: 21 March 2023 • 09:00 EDT • New York

Live Auction: 21 March 2023 • 10:30 EDT • New York

Live Auction: 22 March 2023 • 09:00 EDT • New York

Online Auction: 16–28 March 2023 • 9:30 EDT • New York

For assistance with bidding and registration, please contact: +1 212 606 7000 enquiries@sothebys.com

This Modern and Contemporary South Asian Auction will feature works from across India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, capturing the beauty and diversity of art from the subcontinent. The star lot is Maqbool Fida Husain’s 1961 masterpiece, Bulls, the iconic cover image of Harry N Abrams’ seminal 1971 monograph on the artist. Other highlights include exceptional works by Sayed Haider Raza, Francis Newton Souza and celebrated sculptors Meera Mukherjee and Amar Nath Sehgal.

Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art