Art Attack: MF Husain Show Goes on Despite Right Wing Attack

MF Husain. Image Courtesy: BCCL

The Hindu right wing refuses to let go of MF Husain even a year after the artist’s death. 

The first ever commercial auction of the artist’s works conducted by Pundole’s on January 17 at a South Mumbai five-star had a Hindu right wing group fuming. It dashed off letters to Pundole’s owners, Dadiba and Khorshed, to not auction works by the “anti-Hindu artist”. Your diarist has learnt that the auction and viewing which was supposed to take place at the National Centre for Performing Arts was called off at the last minute on account of these threats — although the NCPA claims their dates were blocked. 

Dadiba successfully held the viewing of Husain’s works anyway — watercolours and ink on paper that belong to the private collection of the late Badrivishal Pitti — at a private store in Colaba under police protection.