Important Notice

Bhupen Khakhar's art was based on personal as well as political concerns, going against the grain of dominant artistic practices of his time. He often positioned himself as the subject in his paintings, and the present lot, titled His Last Days of Aids - He Remembered His Friends is self-explanatory. The gaunt and sickly appearance of the central figure refers to the artist's own illnesses, to which he ultimately succumbed. "Toward the... Bhupen Khakhar's art was based on personal as well as political concerns, going against the grain of dominant artistic practices of his time. He often positioned himself as the subject in his paintings, and the present lot, titled His Last Days of Aids - He Remembered His Friends is self-explanatory. The gaunt and sickly appearance of the central figure refers to the artist's own illnesses, to which he ultimately succumbed. "Toward the end of his career as he fought against prostate cancer he painted human bodies that were violated by disease, war and violence, interspersed with the experiences of tender, fearless calm." (Shivaji K Panikkar, "An Art Historian's Appreciation," bhupenkhakharcollection.com, online)

During his last moments on the deathbed, old friends and lovers reappear, creating a hallucinatory, memoir-like scene in which he revisits his life. These "spaces filled with figures, meticulous descriptions, bright colours and a complex spatial arrangement," are typical of his style, which was based on vignettes within a narrative structure. (Enrique Juncosa, "The Integrative Art of Bhupen Khakhar," Timothy Hyman, Enrique Juncosa et al., Bhupen Khakhar: A Retrospective, Mumbai: NGMA and The Fine Art Resource, 2003, p. 12) Khakhar was also influenced by Buddhist culture and imagery which he encountered on a visit to Sri Lanka. His works thereafter often incorporated Buddhist imagery, and the central figure in this lot perhaps allude to the image of the emaciated Buddha overcoming the suffering of the human body to attain salvation.

Read More
Artist Profile
Other works of this artist in: this auction  |  entire site