Black and White Divided by Three

India / South Asia Collection

Accession Nr.: 66.57.1
Type: painting
Artist/Maker:
Date of production:
1950ies-1960ies
Place of production:
Materials: canvas
Techniques: oil
Dimensions: height: 61 cm
width: 61 cm
Maqbul Fida Husain is often referred to as the "Picasso of India" - one of the most famous and controversial artists of the 20th century. Hussein was one of the decisive founders of the Progressive Artists Group (PAG) in Bombay in December 1947, which exerted a great influence on the contemporary art of the entire subcontinent. The painting in our collection is a cubist work of art painted in the 1950ies or '60ies. The painting depicts three cubist-style mask-like faces in front of a background divided horizontally in the lower third, white at the bottom and black at the top.