MF Husain’s ode to ‘Benares’ fetches Rs 15.6cr at auction | Lucknow News

Lucknow: “Untitled (Benares)” — a rare painting of celebrated painter late MF Husain has been sold at Rs 15.6 crore at Saffronart’s Spring Live and Online Auctions. A vibrant tribute to Kashi’s timeless spirit, this masterpiece captures the essence of the city’s ghats, blending spirituality and everyday life with bold strokes.“MF Husain’s 207 x 397 cm acrylic abstract canvas painting sold for Rs 15.6 crore ($1.67 million) at Saffronart’s Spring Live Auctions, including buyer’s premium. The artwork, acquired directly from Husain, features his signature on the upper left corner,” according to information on Saffronart’s official website.Saffronart kicked off its Spring Auctions 2026, live in Mumbai and online from Apr 1-2, building on its successful 25th anniversary year with record-breaking sales. The auctions showcased a curated selection of pre-modern and modern Indian art, spanning centuries of artistic practice.After visiting the city, Husain had said: “If in 1948 I saw the quintessence of Indian art in Delhi, in Benares I saw the essence of India. At the level of thought, this left a very deep impression.”According to Saffronart, even as Husain’s modernist vision was moulded by global artistic influences, India remained central to his art. Husain traced the rhythms of everyday life at Kashi’s famous ghats in the present lot. Saffronart said the artist first visited the city in early 1960 with his friend and contemporary, Ram Kumar. They stayed at the house of Shripat Rai, writer Premchand’s son, in Godowlia near Dashashwamedh Ghat and explored the city and its narrow winding streets.Husain was confronted with the eternal cycle of life and death that played out before his eyes each day at its teeming ghats. He recalled, “…we had strayed to the Manikarnika Ghat. For a long time, we sat there, watching the dead being brought in the Ganga and then cremated. To our dismay, we found ourselves crying at the spectacle. By afternoon, the spirit of revelry to which we had remained oblivious impinge upon our consciousness. Every new body for cremation was accompanied by the sound of shehnai, bringing home the inescapable truth that sadness and suffering were of our own making, while the celebration around was the real Benares. For here the soul was finally freed from the cycle of birth, death and suffering.”Husain had further recollected, “There were several women among the dead who were young, shapely and beautiful. They lay there propped up on the slope, their feet touching the Ganges, profusely adorned as brides. And strangely, I felt an exhilarating sense of freedom. As if all barriers between life and death were broken down. This could happen only in my country… in a country where even death is beautiful and joyous — a means of recycling. Everything was so unageing and ageless, and death a non- reality, a non-issue.” The art of valuation Saffronart president and co-founder, Minal Vazirani, said: “Saffronart determines the value of a work through a combination of key factors that guide both pricing and auction estimates. These include the artist’s oeuvre, the significance and quality of the specific work, its provenance and exhibition history, and whether it belongs to an important series or period. Auction estimates are also informed by historic comparables – prices achieved by similar works – which help set expectations and guide collectors. In the particular case of M F Husain’s ‘Untitled (Banaras)’, several elements contributed to the final valuation. There is currently strong market demand for works by Husain, especially rare and important pieces. ‘Untitled (Benares)’ stands out for its scale, which adds to its desirability.”Vazirani said, “The subject matter is also significant. Together, the work’s rarity, scale, subject significance, and the broader demand for Husain’s art played a crucial role in achieving its notable sale price.”