Maqbool Fida Husain (Indian, 1913-2011) Mother Teresa oil on canvas, framed signed upper right, executed in 2002 100 x 73cm (39 3/8 x 28 3/4in). Footnotes: 'I have tried to capture in my paintings what Mother Teresa's presence meant to the destitute and the dying, the light and hope she brought by mere inquiry, by putting her hand over a child abandoned in the street. I did not cry at this encounter. I returned with so much strength and sadness that it continues to ferment within.' - M.F Husain Provenance: Acquired by Mr Ravindra Maheshwari, 2002, Mumbai Thence by descent to Mr Upendra Maheshwari, Acquired by Dr H.S Kanda, 2016 Acquired by Mr Ajit Singh Gulati, 2015, Thence by descent to the present owner Note: The present work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the artists son Shafat Husain, dated 2009 First appearing as a morif in Maqbool Fida Husain's paintings in 1980, the figure of Mother Teresa recurred repeatedly in his works in the later years of his career. She is faceless, with her corporeality implied by the sari and its modeling. Gradations of the night sky permeate her hollow form, while a dove of peace and a child nestles on her. By absenting facial descriptions in both the sainted Teresa and the child, Husain emphasises the emblematic status of both in the Indian imagination. The young indigents' lack of self-sufficiency is powerfully expressed through their lack of feet and hands. Mother Teresa's sari maternally nestles the child, promising succour and hope. The artist states 'I have tried to capture in my paintings what her presence meant to the destitute and the dying, the light and hope she brought by mere inquiry, by putting her hand over a child abandoned in the street. I did not cry at this encounter. I returned with so much strength and sadness that it continues to ferment within.' (Artist statement, Y. Dalmia, The Making of Modern Indian Art: The Progressives, New York, 2001, p. 116) For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com