MF Husain: A life mired in controversies

New Delhi: MF Husain was both loved and loathed in equal measures. Husain was a great modern artist, but he was always more than just his art. In the last years of his life, controversy followed him almost at every step. For right-wing Hindu groups, Husian became a hate figure.

In the mid 1990s, some of Husain's works from an earlier period became controversial because of their portrayal of Hindu deities. His exhibitions were attacked, several dozen criminal complaints were filed against him and he started getting hate mails and threats from across India.

Why was Husain a controversial figure?

New Delhi: The death of the legendary painter MF Husain, would have struck a deep blow to the art fraternity. Credited with several accolades during his lifetime, including the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, the artist was also mired in several controversies throughout his career.

His depiction of nude Hindu deities or Hindu Gods in sexual union did not go down well with several Hindu religious leaders. These leaders were particularly incensed because the country is often looked up to as ‘Bharat Mata’ or Mother India.

Mona Lisa with moustache, gun and dog

New Delhi: Mona Lisa, the 16th century muse of Italian artist Leonardo Di ser Piero da Vinci, is fodder for neo-contemporary geek art even 500 years after the eponymous painting was created.

The wife of the Florentine silk merchant, Lisa del Giocondo, made famous by Vinci's painting, reigns on the collective aesthetic imagination with her enigmatic smile in a variety of avatars that ranges from the hairy, masculine, clownish, aggressive to the surreal.

Indian woman in 'Guinness' for mosaic portrait

New Delhi: An India-born woman entrepreneur has entered the Guinness record for executing a towering mosaic portrait, the largest in the world, using only handmade marble tiles.

The 8x5 metre portrait of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the ruler of Oman presented to him in November 2010 on the 40th anniversary of his accession to power has been created out of stones sourced from the mountains and sea beds of Oman. We managed to get a photograph of the Sultan dressed in a simple dress taken by his personal photographer and used it as a template for the marble portrait, Kanika, founder of the UK-based company Ka Design Atelier that executed the project produced by Bahrain-based Bramco group told PTI.

Old Masters sale takes in $28 million at Christie's

New York: An iconic 19th-Century painting depicting an Ottoman Empire reserve soldier and his hunting dogs sold for $1.65 million on Wednesday at Christie's Old Master and 19th-Century paintings auction.

'Master of the Hounds', by Jean Leon Gerome, had generated significant buzz during exhibitions due to the reviving popularity of Orientalist art, Christie's said. It had been estimated to sell for between $700,000 and $1 million.

Husain's work removed from India Art Summit

New Delhi: Four of MF Husain's paintings were to be shared with the public after many years at the 3rd India Art Summit, the country's largest art fair. By evening of Day 1, the Delhi Art Gallery was forced to take off the paintings by the organisers. Both parties had received numerous threats by individuals and groups that believe Husain is anti-Hindu and anti-national.

Ashish Anand, Director, Delhi Art Gallery said, "We have received around 20 odd emails from various groups - from Bombay and Pune and so has the India Art Summit. So they are fearing that there could be a stampede and so they are wanting the safety of the people. Even the Police Commissioner told me that it is perfect, like there is no problem, there is enough security at the summit. We are still in touch with the organisers so there is still a possibility that we may be able to show Hussain's paintings.

Shakespeare in 38 languages for London Olympics

London: Productions of Shakespeare in Maori and Mandarin will form part of a theatre extravaganza in London to celebrate the Olympic Games in 2012.

Starting on April 23 next year, Shakespeare's Globe theatre will stage all the Bard's 38 plays, each performed by a different theatre company, in a different language.

Giant trove of toys to be sold by Sotheby's

London: A collection of more than 35,000 toys, including rare and valuable miniature trains, is to be sold by Sotheby's in a single lot and could fetch tens of millions of dollars.

The auctioneer has given up an entire floor of its New York headquarters to showcase items from the Jerni Collection throughout January and February, although there is only space for one fifth of the items.

India Art Summit: Husain's paintings withdrawn

New Delhi: Paintings of MF Husain were taken down at the India Art Summit by the art gallery displaying them on Thursday, after the gallery owner allegedly received threatening messages.

Husain has been living in exile abroad for the last five years following alleged threats by saffron groups.

Painting of muse Picasso up for auction

Paris: A sensual 1932 portrait by Pablo Picasso of his young mistress Marie-Therese Walter which captures his romantic obsession with her went on display at Sotheby's in Paris ahead of an auction next month.

It was the first public showing in Europe in some 80 years of "La Lecture," or "Reading," an erotic and brightly colored depiction of the voluptuous Marie-Therese sleeping nude in an armchair, her head thrown back and an open book in her lap.