Gram Yatra (Village Vignettes) - Maqbool Fida Husain Painting

Husain’s Gram Yatra fuses elements of folk traditions with the bold, experimental influences he absorbed from European and East Asian modernists. The artwork presents a panoramic vision of rural India through 13 narrative scenes, each offering a glimpse into the rhythms of village life.     Painted in 1954, in it the rural worker takes centre stage, capturing a society in transition. The presence of agrarian figures speaks to the deep interdependence between people and place. Women are also integral to Husain’s composition, depicted in roles of labour and caregiving that reflect themes of resilience and sustenance.     In 2025, the painting set a new benchmark for a modern Indian artwork by selling for ₹119 Crore at auction.

Maqbool Fida Husain (1915 - 2011) was a modern Indian painter of international acclaim, and a founding member of The Progressive Artists Group of Bombay (PAG). M F Husain was associated with Indian modernism in the 1940s.    Husain began his career by painting billboards for feature films. Hussain's —sometimes treated in series—include topics as diverse as Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Ramayana, Mahabharata, British Raj, Bollywood, horses and motifs of Indian urban and rural life.   M. F. Husain’s name has become almost synonymous with modern Indian art, for no single artist has popularised Indian art. M F Husain was a special invitee along with Pablo Picasso at the Sao Paulo Biennial (Brazil) in 1971.