.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
"Charles Gerald, a mediocre artist, an incompetent administrator and director of Sir J.J. School of Art, Bombay, rusticated a number of students because he and his wife Doris were in conflict with them. Among these art students was Francis Newton Souza.
When Francis received a letter from the art school informing him that he was rusticated, he put it in his pocket and devoted himself fanatically to painting. While discussing what would be the best answer to Mr. Gerald's act, I suggested that he should hire the exhibition salon of the Bombay Art Society, at the time situated at Rampart Row behind the Prince of Wales Museum, to exhibit his pictures. This I thought would permit the public to judge for themselves what Souza was capable of.
Having reserved the gallery, I requested Rudolf von Leyden, art critic of the Times of India, to perform the opening ceremony of Souza's exhibition, which he accepted. On the other hand, Souza approached Dr. Alban D'Souza, who was at that time the mayor of Bombay, to grace the occasion. The mayor agreed without much difficulty; both Souza and Dr. D'Souza were from Goa.
The exhibition of Souza was a success from all points of view. He sold almost all of the pictures in his show. One of his pictures was bought for the Baroda Museum by Dr. Herman Goetz, director of the museum at that time. Among other buyers was Miss Maria Figueiredo who shortly after became Souza's first wife [...] Souza had good critics in the newspapers, among which an article written by Rudolf von Leyden in the Times of India was the most favourable. The exhibition definitely established Souza as one of the leading artists of his generation and thus attained the aim we had fixed"
Excerpt from E. Mogul, 'First Exhibition of Francis Newton Souza'
When Francis received a letter from the art school informing him that he was rusticated, he put it in his pocket and devoted himself fanatically to painting. While discussing what would be the best answer to Mr. Gerald's act, I suggested that he should hire the exhibition salon of the Bombay Art Society, at the time situated at Rampart Row behind the Prince of Wales Museum, to exhibit his pictures. This I thought would permit the public to judge for themselves what Souza was capable of.
Having reserved the gallery, I requested Rudolf von Leyden, art critic of the Times of India, to perform the opening ceremony of Souza's exhibition, which he accepted. On the other hand, Souza approached Dr. Alban D'Souza, who was at that time the mayor of Bombay, to grace the occasion. The mayor agreed without much difficulty; both Souza and Dr. D'Souza were from Goa.
The exhibition of Souza was a success from all points of view. He sold almost all of the pictures in his show. One of his pictures was bought for the Baroda Museum by Dr. Herman Goetz, director of the museum at that time. Among other buyers was Miss Maria Figueiredo who shortly after became Souza's first wife [...] Souza had good critics in the newspapers, among which an article written by Rudolf von Leyden in the Times of India was the most favourable. The exhibition definitely established Souza as one of the leading artists of his generation and thus attained the aim we had fixed"
Excerpt from E. Mogul, 'First Exhibition of Francis Newton Souza'