London: International auction house Sotheby's will launch its first 'India and Islamic Week' in London, a high profile series of public exhibitions that will feature works never offered before, including paintings by M F Husain and Sayed Haider Raza. The event will cover three major sales of Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art, Art of Imperial India and Arts of the Islamic World between October 3 and 8. During the period, the entire central London premises of the auction house will be devoted to Indian and Islamic art. "The last 20 years have seen quite a dramatic change in the market for Indian and South Asian art, and as a result the values have significantly increased. We have seen record prices achieved, and a continued demand for good-quality paintings with a notable provenance," Sotheby's said in a statement.

The auction will feature fresh-to-the-market works that have never been offered at auction before. They include paintings by notable modern masters including Maqbool Fida Husain, Sayed Haider Raza, Francis Newton Souza and Akbar Padamsee. Contemporary art by leading Indian and Pakistani artists will also be available, including works by Rashid Rana, Subodh Gupta and Bharti Kher. It will also include Tyeb Mehta's 'Blue Painting 1982', an exquisite work painted in overlapping planes of complementary blues, estimated between 600,000-800,000 Pounds. "We are thrilled that Sotheby's reach with its clients from across India, the Middle East and beyond will advance to a new stage this autumn when we mount the inaugural 'Indian and Islamic Week' in London," said Yamini Mehta, Sotheby's International Director.

"We are proud that with this series of three dedicated sales we will further demonstrate Sotheby's ability to enhance the growing dialogue of cultural exchange across these regions," she added. The Art of Imperial India sale will focus on fine paintings, jewellery, photographs and works of art from the Mughal and Rajput courts as well as the period of the British Raj. An outstanding Maharani torque necklace (hasli) from Bikaner and dating back to the late 19th century is a highlight with a price tag of 250,000-300,000 Pounds. "This type of necklace derives its name from the Hindi word hansuli (collar-bone), and as indicated, rests on the collarbone of the wearer. It is a quintessentially Rajasthani ornament, though beautiful silver torques were worn in other areas across the Indian subcontinent," Sotheby's said. The overall combined estimate across all sales during the week is pegged between 11,200,000 Pounds and 16,000,000 pounds.