File photo of Sotheby’s as they prepare artworks for their Indian Sale. (Getty Images)

An artwork by Vasudeo S. Gaitonde from the peak of his career, a large-scale painting by Francis Newton Souza and a canvas by Ganesh Pyne is set to come up for auction on Oct. 18 at Sotheby’s London sale. – @Siliconeer #Siliconeer #art #GaneshPyne #VasudeoSGaitonde #FrancisNewtonSouza #Sothebys #SothebysLondonAuction

The Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art sale features never-before-seen works from private collections in Europe and America.

The large-scale painting by Souza (estimated at £400,000 – £600,000) titled ‘Deposition of Christ’ is the ‘cover lot’ of the auction and among a few key highlights set to be on view at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Hotel from September 3-4.

Gaitonde’s 1973 work (estimated £900,000-£1,400,000) has been done at the peak of his career while the Pyne canvas has been sourced from a Swiss collection.

The sale also encompasses rare and sought after artists from wider South Asia, including Ali Imam Raza, one of the founders of Modernism in Pakistan, and George Keyt, a leading figure in Sri Lankan modernism and a founder of the Colombo ’43 Group.

The exhibition forms part of an extensive program of events in Mumbai, which includes the launch of a three-day Course on International Contemporary Art organized in collaboration with Sotheby’s Institute.

“Paintings on offer include those considered to be among the most important works by the greatest Indian and South Asian masters at the very top end of the market, as well as paintings by the greatest names at more accessible estimates,” Yamini Mehta, international head of South Asian Art, said.

Following the major retrospective of the Gaitonde’s work in 2015 at the Guggenheim, New York and Venice, the artist is top lot of the October sale.

The work, painted in Delhi at the zenith of his career, Mehta said, “features an abstract color field of beautiful, uplifting tonality, which differentiates it from the artist’s earlier paintings and will be of great appeal to collectors.”

Other highlights of the auction include an Untitled (Under the Fountain), 1969 work (estimated at £40,000 – £60,000) by Ganesh Pyne.

Jehangir Sabavala’s ‘Rice Fields, Palni Holls- II’, 2008 (Estimated £200,000 – £300,000) is a depiction of Southern India’s lush Palni hills.

M.F. Husain’s 1964 work ‘Hajera’ (estimate: £50,000 – £70,000) depicts two women, illuminated in varying hues against monochromatic background.

The palette in Hajera reveals the artist’s love for Indian miniatures – particularly Basholi, Malwa and Mewar schools.

“This work is a profound example of Husain’s unique fusion of post-independence and Post-Impressionist painting: powerfully evocative of classic Indian plastic traditions and distinctly Modern at the same time,” auctioneers said.

An untitled 1979 work by Jagdish Swaminathan (Estimate: £60,000 – £80,000) comes to market from a Brazilian collection. It presents a richly saturated palette that demonstrates Swaminathan’s interest in Pahari and Basholi miniatures, placing his work as a unique re-interpretation of traditional Indian art.