Bhupen Khakhar

A leading figure in the Baroda School, Bhupen Khakar creates vibrant narrative paintings that often incorporate elements of the mystical. The luscious landscapes and rich detail of works such as American Survey Officer (1969) reveal the influence of both Indian miniature painting and the work of naive French painter Henri Rousseau. From the 1980s, Khakar explored the personal and cultural implications of his homosexuality in his work. Two Men in Benares (1982), a lyrical expression of homosexual love, is considered one of his most important works; it broke auction records when it sold for over $3,000,000 in 2019. Khakar, who worked as an accountant before attending the Faculty of Fine Arts, was portrayed as an accountant in Salman Rushdie’s novel The Moor’s Last Sigh in 1995. He sketched Drawing for Salman Rushdie’s Portrait (ca. 1994) and painted the author’s portrait.