Priya Singh
Head of Department
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Lot 9
B. Prabha(1933-2001)Untitled (Houses)
4 June 2025, 15:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £57,550 inc. premium
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Louise Almeras
Cataloguer
B. Prabha (1933-2001)
Untitled (Houses)
signed and dated 'B. Prabha 1964' upper left
oil on canvas, framed
63.2 x 183cm (24 7/8 x 72 1/16in).
signed and dated 'B. Prabha 1964' upper left
oil on canvas, framed
63.2 x 183cm (24 7/8 x 72 1/16in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Property from a private collection, UK.
Acquired from the artist;
Thence by descent.
Prabha is celebrated for her evocative portrayals of rural Indian women, often depicted with graceful, elongated forms and contemplative expressions. Although she is best known for these elegant figures, her work also addresses a variety of themes, including landscapes, drought, poverty, and displacement. Each canvas is typically defined by a dominant colour, which adds a meditative depth and enhances the emotional tone of her subjects.
Raised in the small village of Bela, near Nagpur, Prabha developed a deep connection to the lives of rural women, which became a recurring theme in her art. Her paintings capture not only their beauty but also their resilience and hardships. As she once expressed, 'I want to paint the grief and hardships of my people.'
This present work, Untitled (Houses), however, is a departure from her usual subjects. Rather than focusing on women, Prabha presents a stark landscape with simple huts set against a muted, grey background. The thick brushstrokes and subdued colour palette create a sense of isolation, capturing the quiet beauty and hardships of rural life without directly portraying the human figures that usually animate her work.
Through her work, Prabha held up a mirror to society, highlighting themes of identity, gender equality, and, above all, the complexities of rural life. This landscape illustrates her versatility and her commitment to documenting the spirit of rural India. It offers a more abstract, yet equally poignant, take on the themes that define her body of work.