Twenty-five rare paintings by legendary Indian artist Maqbool Fida Husain are set to go under the hammer on June 12, following approval from the Bombay High Court. The artworks, part of Husain’s ambitious but incomplete ‘Our Planet Called Earth’ (OPCE) series, have been locked away in bank vaults for years due to a complex financial dispute.
Court Sanctions Sale After Prolonged Legal Battle
In a February 17 order, Justice R.I. Chagla of the Bombay High Court permitted the Sheriff of Mumbai to auction the 25 paintings. The artworks were secured by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) in connection with a ₹236 crore loan dispute involving industrialist Guru Swarup Srivastava’s Swarup Group of Industries.
The paintings, valued at ₹25 crore according to art expert Dadiba Pundole’s assessment submitted to the court last year, will be auctioned at Pundole’s under the title “MF Husain: An Artist’s Vision of the XX Century.”
The Unfinished Masterpiece: OPCE Series
The paintings represent a fraction of what was intended to be Husain’s most ambitious project. In 2004, at the age of 89, the master artist embarked on creating 100 paintings to “document the century that I have lived through.” He called this series OPCE – Our Planet Called Earth.
Despite the grand vision, Husain completed only 25 of the proposed 100 canvases before his death. However, these works demonstrate the remarkable scope and audacity of his concept, chronicling major events and figures of the 20th century through his characteristic expressionist style.
OPCE 22, M F Husain. Image Courtesy: Pundole’s
From Bollywood Posters to International Acclaim
Born on September 17, 1915, in Maharashtra’s Pandharpur into a Suleymani Bohra family, Husain’s artistic journey began at a madrasa in Baroda where he developed his taste for art through calligraphy. His early career included painting cinema posters in Mumbai, an experience that would later influence his compressed biographical style seen in the OPCE series.
Over his six-decade career, Husain produced approximately 40,000 paintings, becoming India’s best-paid artist. His highest-selling piece fetched $1.6 million at a 2008 Christie’s auction. Known for his bold, vibrantly colored narrative paintings executed in a modified Cubist style, Husain was a founding member of the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group.
OPCE 17, M F Husain. Image Courtesy: Pundole’s
The Financial Dispute That Trapped the Art
The paintings’ journey to auction has been anything but straightforward. Originally commissioned by industrialist Guru Swarup Srivastava for ₹100 crores, the deal collapsed when allegations of loan fraud surfaced. The Central Bureau of Investigation began investigating the Swarup Group in 2006 for alleged misuse of ₹150 crore from the total ₹236 crore loan taken from NAFED.
A tribunal in 2008 allowed NAFED to secure assets worth ₹100 crore, including the Husain artworks, which were then stored in bank vaults and kept from public view for years.
A Chronicle of the 20th Century
The OPCE series showcases Husain’s role as what he saw himself to be—a chronicler of human achievement and tragedy. The paintings invoke World War I and II, celebrate aviation triumphs, explore the race for space, and feature iconic figures from politics, science, and culture.
Among the subjects depicted are political leaders like Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference, Mahatma Gandhi as a man of peace, and Charlie Chaplin alongside symbols of the space age. The series reflects Husain’s “heroic humanism”—his philosophy of celebrating human ingenuity while mourning its tragedies.
OPCE 21, M F Husain. Image Courtesy: Pundole’s
Research-Based Artistry
Contrary to popular perception of Husain as an intuitive, impulsive artist, the OPCE series reveals his methodical research approach. He was passionate about studying his subjects, visiting libraries, consulting specialists, and reading extensively across multiple languages. His work combined what he saw as complementary paths: ilm and fann (science and art), aql and husn (reason and beauty).
OPCE 15, OPCE 12, OPCE 18. M F Husain. Image Courtesy: Pundole’s
What Happens Next
Following the June 12 auction, the Sheriff must report back to the High Court by July 3 and await further instructions regarding the proceeds. After years of legal limbo, these 25 works will finally return to public view, offering art enthusiasts a rare glimpse into Husain’s vision of the tumultuous 20th century.
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