Maqbool Fida Husain (b. 1915)

Gift from the artist to Aley and Marianne Hasan and thence by descent.

Aley Hasan befriended Maqbool Fida Husain in India. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Hasan and his wife Marianne hosted Husain on a few occasions at their house in Ham, Richmond Surrey. Hasan's daughters recall, "We all remember Husain as a tall, slim bearded gentleman with a quiet demeanor. Although we were children, we were nevertheless intrigued by the artist, who unlike most men at that time, wore a black suede suit with bare feet and carried a brown leather shoulder bag. During one extended visit in 1968, Husain sat comfortably in our sitting room sketching in ink, members of our family. One is a sketch, in ink, of our late mother and grandmother. In the background of this work is a sketch of the Masks painting."