A brush with greatness: Master painter, Bollywood star collaborate for charity
Last Updated: Friday, June 8, 2007 | 5:32 PM ET
The Associated Press
What do you get when you cross Picasso with Bollywood? Dozens of art lovers and fans of the Indian silver screen got a chance to find out this week.
One of India's most famous artists, M.F. Husain, and leading movie heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan went live on stage at the Bonham's auction house in London on Thursday to collaborate on a painting that was later sold —while it dried — for a reported £160,000.
M.F. Hussain, right, gives instructions to Shah Rukh Khan as they finish their painting canvas before a fund-raising auction in London on Thursday.
(Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated Press)
Husain, named by Forbes magazine as the "Picasso of India" and Khan, the movie star so revered that his fans call him "King Khan," completed the large painting depicting a scene from Mugal-e-Azam, a popular 1963 Indian film about a legendary slave girl named Anarkali. The public display was part of an event called "art for freedom" to raise support for art and media.
The piece features a man in sand-coloured clothing fanning the face of his lover, Anarkali, who is reclining near a musician playing a sitar. It was painted almost entirely by Husain before the event — with only the sitar to be completed by Husain and Khan in front of the live audience.
Khan, who knows Husain personally and owns one of his paintings, said that it was an honour to be able to share the canvas with the 92-year-old artist, known for never wearing shoes and for carrying a paintbrush wherever he goes.
"Whatever we do can be turned into a masterpiece, because he is the master," said Khan, who carefully filled in the bottom portion of the sitar with small nervous strokes, before Husain took the paintbrush away to the amusement of audience members.
Many people who came to the auction had been skeptical about Khan's artistic abilities but were curious to see what the collaboration would produce.
"I am not an artist by a long shot, but I'm here to just enjoy the evening as I hope many of you will too," Khan said.
Husain and Khan wrote their signatures in the upper right corner of the piece.
The effort was part of an auction that featured 35 works completed by India's top artists — many of which were also collaborations with eminent citizens in the Indian and British communities.
Share Tools
Whitney Houston's final song Celebrate debuts by Jessica Wong May. 23, 2012 2:46 PM It seems fitting that Whitney Houston's final release is an upbeat and uplifting duet in which she passes the torch to a younger singer with vocal powerhouse potential. In the high energy song Celebrate, from the upcoming film Sparkle, Houston duets with singer and former American Idol Jordin Sparks.
Top News Headlines
- Police kettle Montreal student protesters, arresting 518
- Police in Montreal moved in on student protesters again Wednesday night, kettling them and making 518 arrests — the largest number in one night since the demonstrations began weeks ago. more »
- Economy trumps crime as top priority, poll suggests
- A new online poll suggests the health of the economy is the top priority for Canadians, ranking ahead of a crackdown on gun, gang and drug crime. more »
- Suspect in custody in decades old N.Y. missing boy case
- New York City police say a person who's in custody has implicated himself in the death of Etan Patz, the boy whose disappearance 33 years ago on his way to school helped launch a missing children's movement that put kids' faces on milk cartons. more »
- How a CP strike affects Canada's supply chain
- When engineers and other workers at Canadian Pacific Railway walked off the job early Wednesday, they set off a strike that could affect coal mines, farms, auto manufacturing plants and maybe even the local Canadian Tire. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Ottawa Van Gogh exhibit a romp with nature
- The National Gallery of Canada's Vincent Van Gogh exhibit features 47 paintings pulled together from around the world that explore the Dutch artist's fascination with nature. more »
- Lady Gaga angers Thai fans with fake Rolex comment
- Pop singer Lady Gaga has caused a stir in Thailand after telling her fans that she planned to buy a fake Rolex from a market in the capital Bangkok. more »
- Tom Wesselmann celebrated in new Montreal exhibit
- With Beyond Pop Art: Tom Wesselmann, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is trying to give the reserved, modest American art icon the attention he deserves. more »
- Security breach alleged in making of bin Laden raid film
- A House committee chairman charged Wednesday in Washington that the CIA and Defence Department jeopardized national security by co-operating too closely with filmmakers producing a movie on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. more »
Q Blog
Stephen Merchant stands up for himself May. 24, 2012 10:47 AM The comic best known for collaborating with Ricky Gervais on hit TV shows "The Office" and "Extras," talks to Jian about recently returning to his stand-up comedy roots, whether there are taboos in comedy, and more.
CBC Books
The problem with modern motherhood May. 24, 2012 9:40 AM French writer Elisabeth Badinter has written a controversial new book about modern motherhood. It in she argues that parenting methods like attachment parenting undermine women. She explains why to Day 6.
- Police kettle Montreal student protesters, arresting 518
- Canadian Everest victim warned by guide to turn back
- Outhouse bear attack survivor was grabbed from 'throne'
- Prince Charles and Camilla jet home after 4-day visit
- Disgraced RCMP officer transferred to B.C.
- Canadian Pacific Railway strike leads to 2,000 layoffs
- John Baird to champion religious freedom in U.S. speech
- SpaceX rocket does practice lap at space station
- Finley expected to detail EI changes today
