Leading auction house Christie's will pay a tribute to Indian artist Tyeb Mehta, who died recently, by presenting works from different periods of his oeuvre at an auction in London next month, which will also see creations of masters like M F Husain, F N Souza, S H Raza and Ram Kumar.

The September 16 of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art will feature over 100 works from leading 20th and 21st century artists from South Asia, including from India and Pakistan.

The sale will focus on prime examples of many different movements and styles and highlights will include works from the modern masters as well as from leading contemporary artists Rashid Rana, Jitish Kallat and Thukral and Tagra among others.

The cover lot of the sale is "Two Figures", a signature work of Mehta from 1994 estimated at USD 600,000-800,000. The painting bears a strong relation to the themes from Mehta's celebration, which sold at Christie's in 2002.

The theme draws inspiration from the Charak festival, the spring festival of the Santhals, celebrated in eastern India. Another notable highlight is Mehta's "Mahishasura" (estimated USD 600,000-800,000), which refers to the traditional Hindu tale of the goddess Durga slaying the buffalo demon, Mahisha.

Another version from this series realized USD 1,584,000 in 2005 at Christie's New York sale and established a world auction record for a contemporary Indian painting. It was the first work in the category to break the million dollar mark.

Husain's "Untitled (Mother Teresa series)" is estimated at USD 150,000-200,000.

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