Francis Newton Souza (12 April 1924 – 28 March 2002) was an Indian-American

British Asian British Asians (also referred to as Asian Britons) are British citizens of Asian descent. They constitute a significant and growing minority of the people living in the United Kingdom, with 6.9% of the population identifying as Asian/Asian Bri ...

artist. He was a founding member of the Progressive Artists' Group of

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

. Souza's style exhibited both

decadence The word decadence, which at first meant simply "decline" in an abstract sense, is now most often used to refer to a perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, honor, discipline, or skill at governing among the members ...

and

primitivism Primitivism is a mode of aesthetic idealization that either emulates or aspires to recreate a "primitive" experience. It is also defined as a philosophical doctrine that considers "primitive" peoples as nobler than civilized peoples and was an o ...

Early life and education

Francis Newton Souza was born ''Francisco Victor Newton de Souza'' to

Goan Catholic Goan Catholics ( gom, Goenchem Katholik) are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians following the Roman Rite of worship from the Goa state, in the southern part of the Konkan region along the west coast of India. They are Konkani p ...

parents in the village of Saligão. After his father and then his elder sister passed away, he and his mother moved to

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

in 1929. Souza's mother remarried, and his half-brother was the painter

Lancelot Ribeiro Lancelot Ribeiro (28 November 1933 – 25 December 2010) was a British modern artist. According to the '' Independent'', he is considered to have been at "the vanguard of the influx of Indian artists to Britain." Early life Lancelot Ribeiro wa ...

. Souza attended St. Xavier's College in Bombay, but he was expelled in 1939 for drawing obscene graffiti in the restrooms. He then studied at the

Sir J. J. School of Art The Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art (Sir J. J. School of Art) is the oldest art institution in Mumbai, India, and is affiliated with the University of Mumbai. The school grants bachelor's degrees in fine art and sculpture, and Master's de ...

in Bombay but was also expelled from that school in 1945, because of pulling down the

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

flag during a school ceremony and participating in the

Quit India Movement The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...

. Souza joined the

Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925. H ...

soon after, and co-founded the

Bombay Progressive Artists' Group The Progressive Artists' Group (PAG), was a group of modern artists, mainly based in Bombay, from its formation in 1947. Though it lacked any particular style, there might be said to have been a move towards a synthesis of influences from Indian ...

in 1947.

Career

In 1948, Souza's paintings were shown in London's

Burlington House Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in Mayfair, London. It was originally a private Neo-Palladian mansion owned by the Earls of Burlington and was expanded in the mid-19th century after being purchased by the British government. To ...

as part of an exhibition on Indian Art. However, his work was attacked by the Goan community in Mumbai during an exhibition at Chemould Frames. Souza emigrated to London in 1949, following several complaints against him to the police from the Indian public for obscenity. He initially struggled to make an impact as an artist in the UK. His Goan wife Maria took on multiple jobs in order to support their family. The

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the I ...

included his work in a 1954 exhibition. His success as an artist took off following the publication in 1955 of his autobiographical essay ''Nirvana of a Maggot'' in

Stephen Spender Sir Stephen Harold Spender (28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995) was an English poet, novelist and essayist whose work concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry by th ...

's Encounter magazine. Spender introduced Souza to the art dealer Victor Musgrave. Souza's 1955 exhibit at Musgrave's Gallery One sold out, leading to ongoing success. Souza was one of five artists on the UK shortlist for the 1958

Guggenheim International Award The Guggenheim International Award was established in 1956 as "both a recognition of outstanding achievements in the visual arts and an important manifestation of international goodwill". A shortlist of artists and works were selected by juries to ...

for his 1955 painting ''Birth''. In 1959, Souza published his autobiographical ''Words and Lines''. Souza's career developed steadily, and he participated in several shows, receiving positive reviews from

John Berger John Peter Berger (; 5 November 1926 – 2 January 2017) was an English art critic, novelist, painter and poet. His novel '' G.'' won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism '' Ways of Seeing'', written as an accompaniment to the ...

. According to Berger, Souza's style "was deliberately eclectic: essentially

Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radi ...

in character", but "also drawing on the post-war

Art Brut Art Brut are a Berlin-based English and German indie rock band. Their debut album, '' Bang Bang Rock & Roll'', was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, ''It's a Bit Complicated'', released on 25 June 2007. Named after French painter Je ...

movement and elements of British Neo-romanticism".

Reputation

The renowned Indian artist, M.F. Husain, recognized F. N. Souza as his mentor. In recent years, Souza's paintings have been sold for over a million dollars. His painting ''Birth'' (1955) depicting his mistress Liselotte posing naked while pregnant with their first daughter Keren, set a world auction record in 2008 for the most expensive "Indian" painting sold till then when it was purchased by

Tina Ambani Tina Ambani (née Munim) is a former Indian actress. She is married to Anil Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Group. She is actively involved in many foundations and charities. Many of these were established in the memory of her in-laws, Dhirubhai ...

for US$2.5 million (Rs 11.3 crore) at a

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is owned by Groupe Artémi ...

auction. In 2015, the painting ''Birth'' was resold to Kiran Nadar at Christie's in New York, fetching more than US$4 million. In June 2010 Christie's held an auction of over 140 lots from the Souza estate. Many of Souza's works fetched very high prices, some several times Christie's estimates. At an auction of Souza's painting ''The Last Supper'' (1990) held by

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

in 2019, his former muse and fellow artist Nimisha Sharma interrupted the auction after the bidding had ended. She asked repeatedly who was the artist’s “+” in his signature for that painting. Observers later speculated it was her way of telling the art world that she had painted it along with him.

Personal life

Souza met a Goan fashion designer named Maria Figueiredo in 1945, they married soon after and had a daughter together. In 1954 Souza met Liselotte Kristian (also surnamed Kohn, 1919–1990), a married

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

actress and

Progressive League The Progressive League was a British organisation for social reform and the promotion of scientific humanism, founded in 1932 by H. G. Wells and C. E. M. Joad under the name "Federation of Progressive Societies and Individuals" (FPSI). One of th ...

member, who became his

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

. They had three daughters together but they never got married: Souza remained married to Maria, while Liselotte remained married to her husband Richard. They also

aborted Aborted is a Belgian death metal band formed in 1995 in Waregem. The group currently consists of vocalist, founder and only constant member Sven de Caluwé, guitarist Ian Jekelis, bassist Stefano Franceschini and drummer Ken Bedene. Although t ...

a pregnancy in 1959, Souza thereby being automatically excommunicated from the Catholic Church. Souza's relationship with Liselotte ended in 1961, with Liselotte alleging

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partn ...

. He divorced Maria in 1964 in order to marry the 16-year-old Barbara Zinkant. He and Barbara moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1967 and their son was born in 1971. Barbara divorced Souza in 1977 in order to marry her lover. Souza divided his time between India and the United States after his second divorce. He had several mistresses (including a married young woman from Bombay) and visited several

red light districts A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particu ...

. The Indian artist and poet Srimati Lal was his mistress from 1993 until his death. Souza's eldest daughter by his mistress Liselotte Kristian is the British-Israeli painter Karen (Keren) Souza-Kohn. Karen's son is the British-Israeli street artist

Solomon Souza Solomon Souza (born 1993) is a British-Israeli street artist. He is best known for spray painting portraits of contemporary and historical figures on the metal shutters of the Mahane Yehuda Market ("The Shuk") in Jerusalem, turning them into ...

, known best for his murals in the Mahane Yehuda Market. Anya Souza, his youngest daughter by Liselotte, was born with

Down Syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual d ...

and is a trustee of the

Down Syndrome Association Down most often refers to: * Down, the relative direction opposed to up * Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place * Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing * Downland, a t ...

, known for speaking out against the 2003 International Down Syndrome Screening Conference at Regents College in London. F. N. Souza died on 28 March 2002 from a heart attack and was buried in

Sewri Christian Cemetery The Sewri Christian Cemetery (Marathi: शिवडी ख्रिस्ती स्मशान भूमि ''Sewrī Kristi smashan bhumi'') in Sewri, Mumbai, India, was established by Arthur Crawford, the first Municipal Commissioner of ...

in Mumbai. Only a few people attended the funeral, none of them family members or members of Souza's Goan community.

Public collections

Birmingham Museum of Art The Birmingham Museum of Art is a museum in Birmingham, Alabama. It has one of the most extensive collections of artwork in the Southeastern United States, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts repres ...

, UK *

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, London, UK * Glenbarra Art Museum,

Himeji, Hyōgo 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km². The total area of the city ...

, Japan *

Haifa Museum The Haifa Museum of Art ( he, מוזיאון חיפה לאמנות, ar, متحف حيفا للفنون), established in 1951, is located in a historic building built in the 1930s in Wadi Nisnas, downtown Haifa. Ranking as Israel's third largest ...

, Israel *

National Gallery of Modern Art National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, New Delhi, India *

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...

, Melbourne, Australia *

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

, London, UK * Progressive Art Gallery, New Delhi, India *

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, London, UK *

The Hepworth Wakefield The Hepworth Wakefield is an art museum in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, which opened on 21 May 2011. The gallery is situated on the south side of the River Calder and takes its name from artist and sculptor Barbara Hepworth who was born an ...

Art Gallery, UK *

Museum of Biblical Art (Dallas) The Museum of Biblical Art (MBA) in Dallas, Texas, USA, exhibits art with a Biblical theme. History The museum was founded in 1967 by Mattie Caruth Byrd. It was formerly known as the Biblical Arts Center. In 2005, a fire destroyed the museum and ...

, Texas, USA

References

External links

* (website on Souza by art critic Srimati Lal) * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Souza, Francis Newton Indian male painters Indian erotic artists 1924 births 2002 deaths Indian emigrants to the United States St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art alumni People from North Goa district Souza, Francis, Newton 20th-century Indian painters Indian Expressionist painters Painters from Goa Indian emigrants to the United Kingdom 20th-century Indian male artists 21st-century Indian male artists