In July, a rare oil painting of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of Indian independence, is scheduled to go up for auction in London. It is thought that the picture was damaged by a Hindu nationalist activist.
One of the most important people in Indian history, Gandhi spearheaded a nonviolent uprising against British authority and served as an inspiration for similar resistance movements around the globe.
Tens of thousands of works of art, novels, and movies have been made about him.
However, according to the painter’s family and Bonhams, a 1931 painting by British-American artist Clare Leighton is thought to be the only oil portrait he sat for. It will be up for auction online from July 7 to July 15.
