Artwork
City for Sale
City for Sale is a paint painting by the Contemporary Realist artist Gulammohammed Sheikh. It dates from 1982 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
A folk art tradition called Chakshudana pata appears in the billboard eye.
This painting shows a busy city street during riots. Buildings and signs fill the scene. At the center, a cinema plays a Bollywood film. A painter adds a giant eye to a billboard.
Gulammohammed Sheikh layered personal memory with political events. The cinema features the 1981 film Silsila. A folk art tradition called Chakshudana pata appears in the billboard eye.
This work feels like a snapshot of real life. It mixes art and history. Check out more at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
City for Sale is a painting that captures a tumultuous period in Baroda, Gujarat, during the early 1980s. The artwork presents a complex scene, blending various elements of city life with the chaos of communal riots.
Subject & Meaning
The painting centers on a cinema showing the 1981 film Silsila, surrounded by street scenes and a billboard being painted with a giant eye, referencing the folk tradition of Chakshudana pata. The composition juxtaposes everyday life with the violence of riots, conveying the artist's layered interpretation of personal memory and political events.
Technique & Style
The work is characterized by its detailed and layered depiction of city life, with buildings, signs, and figures densely packed into the scene. The artist's use of visual elements creates a sense of immediacy, as if capturing a moment in time.
Artist & collection
Artist
Gulammohammed Sheikh painted layered city scenes full of people and buildings. His 1984 work City for Sale shows a busy market where homes and shops crowd together, painted in bright colors and small brushstrokes. You…
